


Silver Eyes and Starry Skies

by skittiecat



Category: Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, Rune Factory 4
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character Death(s), Reunions, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25793026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skittiecat/pseuds/skittiecat
Summary: Zaid tells the story of what happened during the massacre of his tribe and what growing up with his tribe was like before then, all while on an airship bound for Selphia where a fateful reunion awaits.--Written for the Rune Factory Big Bang 2020, featuring art by Aina (tumblr: Nyanrial)
Kudos: 9
Collections: Rune Factory Big Bang





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is written for the Rune Factory Big Bang 2020 event! I love Zaid to death so I really wanted to write about his tragic past and how he grew up dealing with that, and since the game gives very little details on him, like, at all, there are a lot of headcanons in this story.
> 
> The first chapter will feature an OC of mine; I've developed her relationship with Zaid for over 5 years now, but she'll only feature prominently in the first chapter to get things going.

On a somewhat warm and clear summer night, the silver moon bathed the wispy clouds in its soothing light, making them shimmer and glow dreamily as the airship bound for Selphia sailed gently through. With the brightly twinkling stars above, it was like a dreamscape in nearly every way. A certain pair of childhood friends were aboard the airship on this particular night, and they both should have been sleeping soundly by now; both should have fallen asleep long ago and should have been off dreaming of wonderful, fantastical things, but sleep was being particularly elusive for one of them. A certain young dwarven man was finding it exceedingly difficult to shake some dark and painful memories from his mind on this night, so he decided to wander the deck of the ship in an attempt to calm himself.

Zaid leaned upon a guard rail on the ship's deck and gazed out toward the endless infinity of the stars, trying to distract himself from the painful memories that would occasionally pop up from time to time. He had a strong, brave image to uphold, and because of that, he locked his feelings deep inside his heart, refusing to let any recurring nightmares shake his psyche. Only his very closest of companions knew the full extent of his trauma, but they knew better than to bring it to attention lest they embarrass their friend, so they offered their support whenever Zaid needed it and nothing more.

Zaid found that stargazing helped to put his mind at ease during times like this. No matter what happened in life, no matter what sorts of things changed over time, the stars always stayed the same. Of course, Ondorus had told him otherwise once or twice in the past, but Zaid never saw even the slightest difference, so as far as he was concerned, the stars were always the same, something he could always count on being constant in his life, never changing. This could be seen as either a comforting thought or a bitter reminder of how things used to be depending on the way he looked at things, but on this particular night, he was unsure of what sorts of feelings were coursing through his heart.

"Zaid?"

Zaid didn't have to turn around to recognize that familiar, song-like voice that broke him out of his deep and confusing thoughts. It was none other than his longtime childhood friend who had grown up with him at the Univir settlement, an elven girl named Estellise. She had left their settlement several years ago to follow her dreams of becoming a renowned songstress, but fate had recently brought them back together.

"Couldn't sleep," he said, dismissively waving his hand but not turning around, as if he was worried that his facade would break otherwise.

When Estellise said nothing and the moments of silence grew, Zaid began to wonder if he was actually all alone in reality, and that maybe he'd imagined everything, had even imagined his dear friend returning to his side. Before he became too consumed by any sort of irrational paranoia, Estellise appeared next to him, her starry blue eyes glistening in the moonlight.

Her lips formed a soft smile, but her furrowed eyebrows conveyed her true feelings. Even though she’d spent years far away in Selphia, even though they hadn’t seen one another for a good portion of their adolescent lives, Zaid could still tell that she was the same kind, caring person that he'd been able to call a friend in his youth. She was as easy to read as an open book most of the time, for Zaid at least, but he really hated it when she worried about him like this. He didn't need anyone worrying about him; it seemed pointless considering he was just fine.

"I was worried about you when you weren't in your room. Are you okay?" Estellise asked him, maintaining eye contact with that same worried expression.

"Just thinkin' about stuff," Zaid responded flatly, looking back up to the sky.

Estellise sighed softly and fixed her gaze on something in the opposite direction, knowing she’d have to adjust her strategy if she wanted to get any answers out of him. She knew full well pushing this boy for an answer wouldn't accomplish anything, he was stupidly stubborn and never wanted to let anyone in when something was bothering him, so she decided on a different approach.

"Hey Zaid, remember that star? That really bright, reddish one?" Estellise asked as she pointed toward a particularly bright star.

Zaid looked to where she was pointing, immediately recognizing it.

"Heh, 'course I remember. I said I was gonna fly there one day. Guess that was pretty stupid of me, huh?"

Estellise frowned, now lost in thought and overcome with worry. Usually, Zaid would get so excited and worked up over little things like this, especially something as extreme as flying to a star, especially this particularly special one, but he seemed so defeated and forlorn tonight and she wasn't sure why. She wasn’t sure what to do or say in a situation such as this, so she decided she’d have to get straight to the point and just come out and ask him what it was that was bothering him so much.

"Zaid, listen, I--"

"Hey Estelle, do the stars ever change?"

"Huh? Do they ever change...?"

Zaid nodded.

"Yeah. Do they?"

"Well..."

Estellise stopped to think, bringing her hand up to her chin. Why was he asking this out of nowhere, and where did it come from? Surely he wasn’t worried about the stars, of all things. Should she give him the actual answer that she had learned from reading books from Ondorus, or something she knew that he would want to hear?

"No, not really. The stars take so long to grow and evolve that to us, they might as well never change at all. They'll stay the same for a very, very long time."

"Heh, I knew it!"

"But, well... You know how the stars twinkle and change color so much?"

Zaid looked at her, a confused and perplexed expression upon his face.

"Yeah, so?"

"Don't you think it almost looks like the stars are alive? It's almost like they're dancing, pulsing with life, doing their best to shine as brightly as they can."

"I don't really get it, but I guess."

" _Even a small star shines in the darkness_ , you told me that once before. I just think it's nice to think about how the stars seem so infinite, but really, they're just like us, doing their best to live life. They'll always be up there for as long as we're here, watching over us, but one day they'll give life to new stars who will get their chance to shine and watch over the future. That's all."

Zaid didn’t understand a single word of what Estellise had just said. He only wanted to know if the stars would be there forever or not, so why did she have to get so philosophical about it? He took a minute to try to process what she said, to try to absorb any of it, but he just couldn't wrap his head around it at all. He really didn’t know what to say, so he settled on blurting out the next thing that came to mind.

"The Starry Night Festival is tomorrow, you know. The one my tribe celebrated, you know, before..."

Estellise sharply inhaled and took a step back from him. Her expression seemed pained, panicked almost, primarily because she never knew what to do or say whenever he'd bring up the massacre that befell his tribe and his family. She felt like the absolute worst when it came to comforting him, to being a good friend and someone that he could talk to. Sure, Zaid had eventually felt comfortable enough to open up with the people of the settlement where they grew up together, but when it came to this particular topic he typically avoided bringing it up around Estellise, which led to her being unable to truly comfort him whenever he would suffer from nightmares or negative feelings in general because of it. She really had no one to blame but herself.

"I... I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for? It's not like you did it, don't be stupid," Zaid chuckled dryly.

Estellise hugged herself tightly and looked down toward her feet, almost as though she was feeling guilty for something she had nothing to do with. Zaid brushed it off because Estellise was just the kind of person who always apologized for everything; she'd even apologize when he told her to stop apologizing. It was just another one of her weird mannerisms that he'd gotten used to over the years, so this reaction came as no shock to him.

"Hey, um... Zaid, what were they like? Your parents, your tribe?" Estellise asked shyly, her hands now fiddling with the lacy hem of her pink dress, giving her a poor excuse to avoid making eye contact again.

"You really wanna know? You always get so weird about it. I can tell you but I don't wanna hear you sayin' sorry the whole time," Zaid said as he faced her and crossed his arms, a single eyebrow raised in a questioning yet serious manner.

"O-only if you're okay talking about it! I just, well, I never really know how to bring it up, but... I'd really love to hear about them!" She said in what Zaid assumed was supposed to be a stern, serious voice.

Estellise was now nervously fidgeting with her silky blonde hair while awaiting his response, still averting her eyes.

"Look, if you're gonna be all nervous and weird, then--"

"No, please, I’m sorry!"

Estellise stepped in his direction and grabbed his forearm, squeezing it as she spoke as she tried to assert herself. Her expression was suddenly a lot more serious too--where did all this come from suddenly?

"I really want to hear about them before we get to Selphia! Please..."

Zaid was confused at the sudden outburst, why did she need to hear about this before getting to Selphia? Weird. He ultimately decided there was no harm in a little late-night storytelling though, so he brushed her hand from his arm and plopped down right there on the deck of the ship. Estellise stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before he patted the floor next to him, urging her to take a seat next to him. Estellise wasn't quite sure why Zaid would choose to tell his story right here over somewhere a bit more comfortable though, preferably somewhere with chairs. Zaid really didn't think things through most of the time, and his sudden impulses always caused him to make the most strange decisions that got the two of them into a lot of trouble as kids, but that was one of the things she'd come to love so much about him. The corners of her lips tugged upwards into a smile at the thought as she sat, tucking her skirt underneath herself and scooting closer to him, just happy to be here together with her best and closest friend again after all this time, and waited for him to start.

"Kay, so here goes!"


	2. Even a Small Star Shines in the Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features art by Aina (tumblr: Nyanrial)!  
> (Note: they’re not seeming to want to load a lot of the time, and I can't seem to fix it. I'm so sorry!)

"What kind of weapon is that, Pops?"

"Zaid, must you speak like your mother all the time?" Zaid’s father, Zander, responded with a light and airy laugh. Zaid responded with a wide and toothy grin as he leaned against the nearby counter with his head resting upon his hands.

Zander brushed back the messy blonde hair which stuck to his face, dampened by sweat from the forge. He'd been forging quite a lot lately, more so than usual ever since the neighboring kingdom had made a deal with the Frhemta tribe. Zander wasn't entirely sure what their reasoning was, but his work had become more popular since he had become known as the Master Blacksmith across the land as of late, so it was only natural as word spread that a kingdom would wish for their soldiers to be equipped with the finest weapons. That's what Zander surmised, at the very least. He took a seat away from the forge, removing his char-stained gloves and once again rubbed the sweat from his forehead with the back of one of his hands. He turned to face Zaid and felt warmth rise up to his silver eyes, happiness welling up inside his heart at the sight of his happy, innocent, curious son directing his undivided attention toward his work.

"It's called a cutlass. It's a type of sword that's easy to use and you don't need much training to use it, but it's no good against opponents with a lot of armor," he said, answering Zaid's question.

“Oh, like Mr. Slice?”

“Are you still calling my sword that? Just where did you get the idea that my sword was named something like that?”

“You told me before that you gotta take really good care of your weapons, and since it’s somethin' you always gotta carry with you, it’s like a buddy, and you’ve gotta name your buddy!”

Zander smiled and shook his head. If this were any other child he would wonder just where all these ridiculous and off-the-wall ideas came from, but Zaid was his mother’s son after all. Zander had given up on understanding his son’s wild sense of imagination long ago, but it was just one of many things that he adored so much about him.

Zaid grinned so widely that it nearly stretched from ear to ear, elated by the praise from his father.

“Hah, I knew it, I’m the greatest! I hope I can learn how to make cool swords just like you someday, you really are the master blacksmith, Pops!" Zaid praised, full of excitement. “The ones I make out of sticks always break and it’s really lame; dumb sticks.”

Zander chuckled inwardly at his son's innocence and enthusiastic sense of wonder.

"Now now, you know better than to blame the sticks. Remember, _a bad workman blames his tools_. When you’re a little older I can teach you how to make proper weapons, but you'll be using swords a lot more than you'll ever be forging them. Defending the tribe will be your duty one day, as the chief."

"But what if I don't wanna be the chief? I just wanna have fun, it isn't fair!" Zaid whined and crossed his arms, sulking at the thought of his fun and freedom being taken away from him one day.

Zander couldn't help but let out another quiet laugh--Zaid really sounded so much like his mother. He remembered the days when he first met Amira, wild and independent, and how she would do anything in her power to avoid her duties and training from her strict father. She truly never wanted to become the chief because she loved her freedom, just as Zaid felt now, but she eventually came around, as Zander was confident that Zaid surely would one day too.

"Now, now, don't say that. I know you'll be an amazing chief one day. People will look up to you for strength and leadership, and you’ll do great," Zander reassured, ruffling Zaid's messy blond hair.

“Wait, does that when I’m chief everyone’s gotta do what I say? That’s awesome!”

“Well, that’s not exactly what I was--”

“Being the chief is gonna be so cool! I can’t wait, I’m gonna go tell everyone!”

Before Zander could even hope to clarify his statement, Zaid bolted out the door in a flash without another word running off to gods knows where, and Zander couldn’t help but sigh as he stood up to close the door his excitable son had left ajar. He wondered what sort of trouble he’d be in with the twisted words Zaid was sure to be throwing around the village, but knowing the way Zaid was, people would surely laugh it off as just another one of his wild and crazy ideas. Zander hoped so, at least.

Zaid was quick to run off to the training grounds, where he was sure to find his mother. She would hone her skills there often, and lately, she had been overseeing some of the up-and-coming warriors she had been training personally. Zaid loved watching the way the warriors would fight with one another in practice matches, and he absolutely reveled in watching the swift movements they’d make before each strike. As strong as they all appeared though, no one had ever defeated his mother, the strongest warrior of them all, a fact that Zaid was especially proud of.

As Zaid laid eyes upon his mother and approached her, he found that, just as expected, she was not out there training among the warriors today and instead was carefully watching their swordplay, a look of impatience plastered upon her freckled face. She yawned out of boredom and stretched her sun-kissed arms up high and continued impatiently watching the people on the training field as she adjusted her wild brunette ponytail, clearly itching to get in on the action. What Zaid took notice of most of all though was a young dwarf standing by his mother’s side that he had never seen around before. Zaid wondered if he was some sort of new trainee, though he appeared far too young to begin any sort of serious training, and felt envious at the unfair thought.

“Mama, what’s going on?” Zaid asked while tugging at his mother's arm, curiosity apparent in his voice.

“Oh, hey there, Little Man!” Amira greeted her son happily. “You pumped for the festival tonight, or what?”

“Hmmm…” Zaid hummed without answering, his eyes locked coldly on the other young boy.

Just who was this red-headed kid, anyway? He appeared to be just a bit older and taller than Zaid, perhaps only by a year or two, but he still appeared far too young to be a potential candidate for a tribal warrior. Besides, if any kid should be out there training, Zaid thought it should obviously be himself. He was the future chief after all, and he couldn't think of any kid who would be more worthy of the role than he.

“Oh, by the way. This is Doug, say hi!” Amira said cheerfully as she lightly pushed the unenthusiastic red-headed dwarf toward Zaid.

“Hi…” Zaid greeted, showing his disdain by crossing his arms.

“Doug is the son of a friend of mine, so be nice,” Amira scolded, wagging a finger at Zaid’s grumpy behavior.

“So… He’s not going to start training to be a warrior?” Zaid enquired, his eyes wide and full of hope.

Amira snorted loudly, failing to stifle a laugh.

“What?! Of course not! This kid is like, ridiculously tiny, almost as tiny as you! He’d be useless as a warrior right now.”

The other young dwarf, Doug, scoffed at the comment, clearly insulted but unable to argue against it.

“Oh, but I do need you two to go off and play or something,” Amira continued. “I've just gotta get in on this action and I can’t do that while I’m stuck babysitting.”

“What?!” Doug shouted out, his tiny voice going up an extra octave. “But Mom said I had to stay with you!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’ll be fine, you and Zaid can just take care of each other, yeah?” Amira dismissed, uninterested in any conflicts of interest the boys may have held. “Just, I dunno, go off and do something before the festival tonight and I’ll catch up with you later.”

With that, Amira quickly scurried off toward the training ground, ignoring the cries of protest coming from behind her, and left the two young boys alone with one another. Neither of them said a word for some time and glared at one another, both of them displeased beyond words and feeling the need to make very clear that the other boy knew it. Tension and awkwardness hung so thick in the air between them that it could have been easily cut with a knife, but finally, Zaid spoke out.

“This is lame, I’m gonna go train somewhere too,” Zaid declared, turning to take his leave.

Doug sighed, grimly accepting the fact that he had to spend today with some brat that he’d never met before.

“Fine, guess I gotta go too, then…”

“Huh?! No, I don’t need you, I can take care of myself!”

“It's not like I _want_ to go with you, but I think the chief will only cover for me if I stay with you,” Doug explained flatly.

“Hmmmm," Zaid grumbled, "Fine, but if you come with me, then you gotta train with me!”

“What, for real?! I don’t wanna train with some squirt!”

“Who are you callin’ a squirt?! I could beat you anytime, anywhere!” Zaid declared, imitating something he heard his mother say once before during training as he puffed out his chest.

Doug let out a sharp laugh at Zaid's absurd overconfidence.

“Sure, sure, I bet you could. Fine, then show me where we’ll spar, and I’ll show you who’s the strongest!”

“Hmph! Fine, we’ll go to my top-secret training spot!”

“Lead the way, Squirt,” Doug teased.

Zaid said nothing and marched on, leading Doug a short distance away into a wooded area on the edge of the village. The leaves softly rustled in the gentle breeze as the sunlight gently filtered through the canopy towering above, the cicadas' cries reverberating and echoing in between and throughout the trees, signaling the arrival of summer. Zaid didn’t speak a word during the short trek, focusing only on what was ahead and far too heated from the nerve of this other kid; he was raring to go and ready to show Doug who’s boss. In the corner of his eye, he could see Doug trailing along, a smug look plastered across his features, which made Zaid even more angry and ready to knock the smug look right off of Doug's face. Who did this kid think he was?! Zaid was the chief’s son, there’s no way he could lose against some random, stuck up kid, and he was ready to teach Doug a lesson for ever having the nerve to mock him.

“Alright, we’re here,” Zaid said, turning to face Doug in a small clearing, hands upon his hips and the ever familiar overconfident expression upon his face.

“You come to train all the way out here?” Doug asked, puzzled at the odd choice of training grounds.

“Yeah, I come here when Mama and Pops are too busy to spar with me.”

“But there’s a training area right in the middle of town, why come out here?”

Zaid’s expression looked sullen for a brief moment, Doug thought, but he quickly regained his overly-confident grin which was annoying enough to prevent Doug from questioning anything else he thought he may have seen.

“Yeah well, there are always a bunch of kids out there. I don’t wanna waste my time with them, so training alone is way better anyway!” Zaid explained, grinning widely.

“Yet you’re about to spar with me. Uh-huh, makes sense. Anyway,” Doug said, withdrawing a wooden training sword, “Let’s get this over with.”

“Yeah, let’s go!” Zaid excitedly said, readying his training sword as well.

“I’ll let you make the first move, Squirt,” Doug boldly declared.

Zaid smirked, confident that Doug made a foolish mistake at letting him go first, and wasted no time charging in, rushing his opponent. Doug took a defensive stance as the smaller dwarf quickly approached, but managed to catch him off-guard when instead of blocking, he dodged Zaid’s attack and hit him in the back with the base of his sword from behind, easily knocking Zaid to the ground.

“Owwww… Hey, no fair,” Zaid shouted, “best two out of three!”

Zaid didn't wait for a response as he bounced back up and charged in again, this time ready for the older dwarf to make a cheap shot from behind. Doug made the same defensive stance as Zaid approached, and this time allowed Zaid to strike his sword against his own. Zaid chuckled when he made contact, exerting pressure on his sword with all his might. Doug smirked at the confident expression Zaid wore, relishing the fact that he was about to wipe it clean off his face. Doug swiftly ducked to the ground while pushing his sword in an upward motion, using Zaid’s own momentum against him. He heard Zaid yelp in surprise right before he hit the tree head-first with a loud thud.

Doug stood proudly as he sheathed his sword, laughing as he looked down at the younger boy who was on the ground rubbing the forming lump on his head.

“Well, Squirt? Give up yet?”

“'Course not,” Zaid growled and stood back up, pointing his sword in Doug’s direction, “You’re not even really sparring, you’re just using cheap tricks!”

“If that’s what you think, fine, we can go one more time, but I won't hold anything back this time,” Doug said while unsheathing his sword, ready for their final match.

“Alright! This time you go first,” Zaid demanded, urging Doug to come at him.

Doug moved in, readying a strike against Zaid’s defensive stance. Zaid parried Doug’s strike flawlessly, much to Doug’s surprise, and continued doing so for the next few strikes until Doug realized he was getting nowhere and backed off.

“Heh, see? Not bad, right?” Zaid boasted.

“You’re just parrying, that’s hardly anything to brag about,” Doug said as he charged back in, ready to get this annoying fight over with.

As expected, Zaid parried Doug’s strikes again, so Doug kept making the same strikes, waiting on Zaid to make his next move. Once Zaid got the momentum of Doug’s strikes, he attempted striking back between one of them, timing it just right. He was hoping that by doing so, he would surprise Doug and cause the grip of his sword to loosen, giving Zaid the perfect opportunity to knock it from his hands and take the match. It was a strategy his mother had used against him a few times before, so he was confident it would work against someone as inexperienced as Doug. Instead, it seemed as though Doug was expecting this and turned his own strategy against him, counter-striking Zaid and knocking his training sword from his grip.

“H-hey, that’s not fair!”

“Look, Squirt, you’re just not good enough to beat me, admit it.”

“No!! Fight me again!” Zaid shouted, his face burning with frustration.

Doug sighed at Zaid’s outburst. The younger dwarf scrambled to pick up his sword again and pointed it in Doug’s direction, demanding a rematch. Doug had no reservations about picking on the kid some more, but when he took notice of Zaid’s face, reddened with anger and eyes brimming with tears, he decided instead that it was about time to put a stop to this.

“Listen, let’s just call it quits for now--”

“NO! You have to do what I say!” Zaid shouted angrily.

“Huh? Says who?!" Doug shouted back.

“Pops said that the chief can make anyone do whatever they want, so you’ve gotta do what I say!”

“You’re not even the chief yet, I don’t have to listen to you,” Doug laughed dismissively. “Where are your tribal feathers that only the chief can wear, huh? Where’s your tattoo that says you’re a real warrior? You just look like some spoiled brat to me.”

“Take that back!” Zaid yelled, shaking as anger began to overtake him.

“You know, this is why none of the other kids ever want to play with you. You’re just some bratty, annoying kid who doesn’t know when to give up.”

Doug’s words broke something within Zaid, causing him to charge at Doug like some sort of feral beast. Zaid struck at Doug with his training sword over and over again, shouting with every erratic and anger-fueled strike as Doug blocked each one until his anger-fueled tantrum overtook his senses and he collapsed onto the ground in a sobbing mess.

Doug was far too annoyed at this point to feel any kind of remorse. He’d heard rumors from the other children about the bratty son of the chief, but he’d never experienced it himself until now. They would often whisper about how they never wanted someone as bossy and obnoxious as him to ever become their leader, that they would sooner renounce their status as members of the tribe than live under his leadership. Doug had always felt bad when he heard the stories and he’d always thought they must have been overly exaggerated, that people should just give the poor kid a chance. Now that Doug had finally met the kid though, he could understand why all the other children had always tried to avoid him. How could such a weak, tantrum-throwing crybaby ever be someone that he could call his leader, his chief? Doug began to hope that Zaid’s mother would come to her senses and reconsider having Zaid take over her position one day, maybe she could make some sort of new rule that the chief doesn’t have to be the firstborn of the previous one, just something, anything to prevent this kid from being his future leader.

Zaid couldn’t believe how weak he was, he was ashamed of himself. He’d never beaten his mother or father during their training sessions, not even close, but they had always told him that _you can do anything if you try_ after each loss, so he'd always held his chin high and kept training, day after day. Zaid wiped at his teary face, humiliated at being reduced to such a baby in front of a fellow dwarf. He was the future chief, so he knew he couldn’t keep crying like this, but he had always thought he could beat any of the other kids without even breaking a sweat. Was what Doug said true? Did the other kids really ignore him because they didn’t like him? They thought he was annoying? He had known for a while that none of them ever wanted to play with him. It started when they'd come up with excuses for why they couldn't play with him; they were too busy with their families, or they had other plans with another kid, it was always something simple and innocent so Zaid never gave it a second thought. As time passed though, Zaid noticed that they had started ignoring him completely whenever he tried making conversation, and it was then that he decided to train somewhere where he could be completely alone; he'd always thought the other kids were a waste of time, anyway. But now Doug was here, laughing at Zaid’s humiliating defeat and mocking him to his face in his very own top-secret training spot.

Zaid rubbed his teary face and stood up, hastily running away from Doug and away from his training grounds without muttering a word to the other dwarf. He kept on running without looking back even once, and he was sure to maintain his speed to prevent Doug from catching up to him and making fun of him even more. Once Zaid reached the edge of the village a few moments later, he stopped for a moment and leaned against a tree to catch his breath, panting heavily and covered in a glistening layer of sweat. Doug didn’t seem to be coming after him, so that was a good sign. Zaid sighed in relief as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up to the colorful hues of the sky, realizing that night would fall upon them soon and that he needed to hurry home to prepare for tonight’s festival. He quickly scurried back home, being extra careful to avoid anyone along the way, and he made sure to take a brief moment to calm himself enough so his parents wouldn’t realize he had been crying just minutes prior. Once he felt confident that his face was no longer red or swollen, Zaid walked through the front door of his home silently, his usual enthusiasm nowhere to be found. Zaid was such a loud and excitable boy that his parents immediately noticed the change in demeanor just from the fact that he had walked through the door without a word; it was easy for them to see that the usual excitement Zaid exuded was absent.

“Welcome home sweetie,” Amira greeted, deciding not to bring attention to her son's sullen aura. “Are you ready to get dressed up for the Starry Night Festival?”

Zaid flopped down in a chair and put his head down on the table unenthusiastically.

“Do I ‘hafta go to some dumb festival? I just wanna stay home.”

Amira and Zander exchanged worried glances at their son’s unusually gloomy behavior.

“Zaid, this festival is very important to clan Frhemta, you need to experience it,” Zander explained. “It only happens once every four years, you’ll be twelve years old by the next one.”

“Mama, when can I be a warrior and get a tattoo on my arm like you?” Zaid asked, completely ignoring his father’s words.

“Uh, what? Where is this coming from all of a sudden?” Amira asked in confusion.

“I wanna be a real warrior too, but no one ever takes me seriously…”

“Zaid, you can’t get the Mark of the Warrior until you’ve proven yourself worthy, and most people don’t even start training until at least twelve. You’ve got a lot of time to learn and grow before then, so don’t worry about it, ‘kay?"

"Well, then what about those feathers you have?"

"You mean the blue and red ones? Oh, those are very special feathers said to have come from a wind dragon, they're supposed to grant protection and the power of the wind; that’s what the old legend says, anyway. Buuuut I can't give those to you until you're the chief, only your old Pops over here and I can wear them for now."

Zaid sighed, upset that he still had a long time to wait for anything as cool as his mother had.

"Anyway, for right now,” Amira said, walking over to her son and playfully ruffling his hair, “let’s get you ready for tonight.”

Zander made his way over to present Zaid with his festival robe, made from the finest silky-soft fabric in a vibrant, deep shade of deep, sapphire blue.

“Why do I have to wear a robe, how come I can’t wear regular clothes?” Zaid asked.

“It’s just tradition,” Zander explained.

“A long, long time ago, there was a woman who made the most beautiful robes, and people would come to her from all over the world just to get a robe made by her. One day, a selfish prince from a faraway land saw her beautiful robes and wanted the woman who made them all for himself, so he sent his men to capture her. He locked her away in a tower and ordered her to make him the finest garments for their wedding. She obeyed his wishes, crying all the while, and when she completed the garments that night, she wished upon the brightest, reddest star in the sky for someone to rescue her. Just then, a servant boy came to collect the wedding robes and the two fell in love as soon as their eyes met, and they quickly ran far away together. They were soon married and wore the most beautiful, intricate robes that she had made, and they lived happily together. It’s said that they were the progenitors of clan Frhemta, so we spend the Starry Night Festival honoring them by donning beautiful robes and making wishes upon the very same star she did. It’s said that if you make a wish together with your lover, it will most certainly come true.”

“So… If I wear this robe and make a wish, it’ll come true?” Zaid asked as he perked up at the thought.

“Well, that’s how the legend goes, anyway,” Zander answered, “and it certainly came true for me and your mother when you were born.”

“When I was born? You wished for me?”

“Yes, we wanted to be parents very badly, and our wish came true with you. Maybe one day, it will come true again and you’ll have a little brother or sister,” Zander said, tenderness apparent in his eyes.

“Wait, so… Is that all? We just dress up to go outside and wish on a star?”

“Of course not, that would be such a waste of a festival,” Amira chimed in, voicing her displeasure at the thought of such a dull festival.

“We also put up lanterns and eat the most yummy food, what kind of festival wouldn’t have food?!”

“Yes, and there’s music and dancing as well,” Zander added.

“I guess that sounds okay,” Zaid admitted, the temptation of food being too much for his empty stomach to resist.

“That’s great, then let’s put these things on and go already, I’m starving!” Amira said, earning a chuckle from Zander.

The trio, now fully donned in their festival attire, headed outside into the darkness of the night and made their way to the center of town where the festival was being held. Zaid was especially perceptive of the way other children avoided making eye contact with him now, after what had happened earlier in the day. They would avert their eyes as soon as Zaid looked in their direction and whisper to one another, quietly laughing as they made quick glances in his direction. Zaid’s mouth turned downward into a frown as he looked down at the ground, walking closer to his parents and holding tightly to the fabric on his father’s robe. Zaid wondered if Doug had been right, and that maybe, just maybe, he had been a little too pushy with the other kids. He wondered if it was too late to make amends with them, or if any of them would ever trust him to be their future chief again.

As the family approached the heart of where the festivities were, Zaid’s eyes were set aglow with the reflections of all the bright and colorful festival lanterns. Warm shades of red and yellow lit up the streets of their modest little town, and the sounds of laughter and music rang throughout the pleasant nighttime air. There was a large circle of musicians playing all sorts of folk songs, and several people were happily dancing in the center of it all without a care in the world, all of them wearing beautiful, colorful robes of varying shades, hues, and patterns. Children ran around laughing and playing with one another and Zaid couldn't help but feel envious at the display, putting an abrupt end to his sense of awe at the festivities. He had never thought about anything else other than trying to be the best and strongest out of everyone. All Zaid really wanted was to be just like his mother--strong, brave, and someone that people could rely on when they needed him most. Ever since he'd heard what Doug said though, Zaid wondered what it would be like to have a friend he could play with, someone close to his own age he could train with from time to time.

“Zaid, sweetie, we’re going to go dance, do you wanna come with?” Amira enthusiastically asked as she gently shook Zaid’s shoulder.

“Umm… Actually, I’m pretty hungry. I’m gonna go find me some udon,” Zaid said, only partially telling the truth.

Both of Zaid’s parents shrugged and walked away to join in with the other dancers, leaving Zaid to enjoy the festival on his own terms. He decided that now was the perfect time to seek out Doug and apologize, and then he’d work on apologizing to all the other children, one by one. Before he got too engrossed in his search for Doug though, the familiar scent of tempura udon wafted through the air, finding its way to the particularly hungry young dwarf. Tempura udon was Zaid’s absolute favorite dish ever, and there was no way he could resist the temptation when it was sitting right in front of him, so he followed the scent to the brightly decorated festival stall which provided it. He decided that seeking out Doug on an empty stomach just wouldn’t do and his loudly grumbling stomach agreed, so he grabbed a ready-made bowl of the dish and sat upon a small stool. Before he could even indulge in a single mouth-watering bite though, Doug came up from behind him and sat down on the adjacent empty stool, looking away from Zaid with a somewhat ashamed expression upon his face.

“Hey,” Doug greeted, still averting his gaze.

“Oh… Hey,” Zaid replied as he began shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming rate, doing his best to keep his cool.

“So, uh… About earlier today. I wanted to say sorry.”

Zaid said nothing and continued to eat, pretending as though he was too focused on the savory flavor of the udon to respond, which was mostly true, anyway.

“I, uh… I still think you’re a brat, but you don’t deserve to be ignored by everyone. I still don’t think you’re good enough to be the chief, but… Well, if you want, I guess I can spar with you. Only sometimes though, and only because I don’t want you to embarrass everyone, got it?”

Zaid gulped loudly and lowered his now empty bowl, setting a new record for how quickly he could finish an entire bowl of udon.

“I’m sorry, too. You were right, I guess I should be nicer to everyone. I just wanna be strong, strong like Mama and... Strong like you.”

“Doug smiled and lightly punched Zaid’s shoulder, nudging him in a playful manner.

“Alright then, Squirt, looks like I’ll be your new training partner from now on.”

Zaid beamed, enthusiasm returning to his face.

“Yeah, okay! Oh, but you gotta stop callin’ me Squirt, deal?”

Doug laughed, “Only when you finally beat me, Squirt. Anyway, we should probably make a wish on that red star soon, right?”

“Oh, yeah! C’mon, let’s go find somewhere to see it better!”

Zaid jumped up from his seat ready to get going and make his wish, and he excitedly tugged on the sleeve of Doug's deep green festival robe to get him to hurry it up. Doug sighed with a small smile and stood up, giving in to the younger dwarf's demands, which caused Zaid to punch the air in victory. The two boys found a nearby hill which was still bustling with festival activity yet far enough from the glowing lanterns to be able to see the stars more clearly, and they wasted no time running to the very top of the hill where they would have the absolute best view. They weren’t the only ones with this idea; several dwarves of varying ages stood upon this hill as well, and every one of them happily looked up to the red star alongside the boys, each person smiling widely and clasping their hands together as they sent their wishes to the sky and hoped for their greatest desires to come true.

Zaid was simply bewildered by the sight of the star-filled sky. He had never really taken the time to take a proper look at it; he'd always thought stars were boring little specks in the night sky that ultimately didn't amount to much, but now that he inspected them more closely, it was nearly impossible for him to tear his eyes away from the beauty of the stars dotted all across the sky. The night sky wasn’t just a black background with tiny white dots speckled across it as he had always thought either, and instead, Zaid found that it was a swirling sea of deep shades of blue with stars of varying sizes and colors all spread out within, like an endless ocean of stars.

Doug nudged Zaid, interrupting his sudden fascination with the stars, to remind him to make a wish upon the brightest and reddest star of all. Doug was already clasping his hands together tightly, focusing as hard as he could to make his wish come true. Zaid quickly joined in and clasped his hands together, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against his hands, and…

...Zaid didn’t know what to wish for.

He wondered if he should wish for his parents’ happiness. His father had mentioned wanting another kid, but… Is that really what Zaid wanted to use his wish for? Surely, if his parents wanted another child so badly, they would wish for it together, leaving Zaid free to wish for whatever he pleased. He could always wish to be the best and strongest chief there ever was… But with his parents and now Doug by his side to help him get stronger, did he really need to dedicate his wish to that? There were so many possibilities that Zaid hadn't considered before, and it was all a bit overwhelming to try to come up with the perfect wish so suddenly.

“Hey, are you done yet?” Doug snapped at the younger dwarf, tapping a foot impatiently on the grass.

“Shut up, I’m thinking!”

“Come on, wishing for something isn’t that hard! Hurry up or I’m gonna leave you!”

Zaid squeezed his hands tighter, focusing even harder on coming up with the perfect wish. Finally, he decided what it was that his heart most desired, and said in a hushed voice, "I wish… That one day, when I’m the chief, I can be really happy and have good friends by my side."

“‘Kay Doug, I’m done… Doug?”

Zaid glanced around like a lost puppy, but he didn’t see a sign of his new friend anywhere among the happily celebrating dwarves that were still upon the hill. Zaid pouted at the realization that he'd been abandoned and wasted no time running back down the hill, fuming and ready to give Doug a piece of his mind as he ran back toward the heart of the festival.

“Stupid Doug, don’t you dare leave me behind!”

The Starry Night Festival continued all night long with wishes of happiness, love, and everything in between being carried up high to the red star up in the sky, but all Zaid was thinking about was what kinds of amazing things the future would bring for him, his family, and his newfound companion. He just couldn’t wait to see what sorts of amazing things his future would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the calm before the storm :(


	3. Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: death, blood, violence, trauma  
> I've never written anything this gruesome before so this was really challenging!

"Hey Doug, you wanna spar today?" A warmly-bundled up Zaid excitedly asked the older dwarf on this particularly gray and chilly afternoon.

"Nah, sorry Squirt, I've got some important stuff to do. I'll be heading to the next town over to pick up some supplies for my dad, maybe next time." Doug replied dismissively.

"Oh, oh! Can I come?" Zaid asked, bouncing with anticipation.

"No way! This is a serious job, I'm not gonna ruin it by babysitting you the whole time. And besides, it's freezing, you'll catch a cold."

Zaid folded his arms, or at least tried to with his ridiculously thick coat, and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

"I'm not some little kid, you know! I'm nine years old, and you’re not even that much older than me, so stop callin' me Squirt!"

Zaid firmly stomped a foot on the ground and puffed out his cheeks in anger, his oversized coat making him look even smaller than he already was. Doug stifled a laugh at the ridiculous display but failed to hold it back for long and doubled over in laughter, hands on his knees and tears forming in the corners of his eyes, which only made Zaid even angrier.

"Come on, you can't expect me to take you seriously when you're acting like that, Squirt," Doug said in between laughs, wiping the moisture from his eyes. "I'll catch you later."

Doug turned on his heel and gave Zaid a dismissive wave as he walked off, still quietly chuckling to himself while ignoring the cries of anger and protest from behind him. Zaid was left standing alone, feeling dejected with his wooden training sword in hand, as he watched the older dwarf walk away and out of sight.

Ever since Zaid had met Doug a little over a year ago, he'd looked up to Doug quite a lot and always looked forward to their sparring sessions. Doug, being slightly older and taller, had always won their matches so far, but Zaid was determined to beat him and wouldn’t give up asking Doug to spar with him nearly every chance he got. Something of a friendship eventually grew between the two, though in Doug's case Zaid was more of a hyperactive and annoying younger sibling than a friend. Still, Doug somewhat enjoyed their time together even if he wouldn't admit it out loud, just as Zaid would never admit that he actually admired Doug.

Zaid sighed in defeat, his breath rising in the brisk winter air as a quickly-dissipating cloud. He didn't know what he should do now that Doug was gone for the day, so he wandered aimlessly through the village while dragging his sword in the dirt behind him, the boredom and mediocrity of the village life getting to him. Light snow flurries had begun to dance in the dreary winter sky and the smell of wood burning in fireplaces drifted through the chilled air. Zaid wasn’t especially thrilled over this; when the weather got this cold it meant he'd find it especially difficult to find a sparring partner. No one wanted to spend more time outside than necessary when it was this cold, instead, everyone spent their time huddled up in front of crackling fireplaces in their cozy homes together with their loved ones. Zaid couldn't say he blamed anyone for doing so, but it frustrated him how boring and uneventful life got during the winter months. Sometimes Zaid wondered if he'd be better suited living in a warmer climate; he knew he'd never get bored or have any problem finding a partner to train with if he'd only lived someplace warmer. The idea of asking one of his parents to train with him briefly crossed his mind, but the last time he'd asked his mother about it, she got all serious and sat him down, explaining to Zaid that he was going to be a big brother soon and that she couldn’t spar with him for a while.

His parents had been acting like giddy children ever since the news, and while Zaid was happy that they finally got their wish, right now he didn’t see how this was something to be even a little bit excited over. It isn’t as though anyone could spar with a baby, so Zaid thought it was pretty lame. A baby also meant that his parents would be spending less time with him, which had been weighing heavily on his mind as of late. How would Zaid be able to become a better fighter or learn how to forge if his parents were busy all the time? Sure, Doug could help him train sometimes, but even Doug hadn’t learned how to forge yet; and when Zaid surpasses Doug one day, what then? This wasn’t all that prevented Zaid’s parents from spending time with him lately though--when they weren’t busy fussing over a dumb baby, they had been very busy with some serious political, chiefly duties.

Zaid didn't yet understand the political side of what becoming the chief would entail, but he'd heard that his mother had been meeting with humans from the next kingdom over to discuss something serious recently. He saw them from time to time, the soldiers with clothing bearing the crest of some neighboring kingdom, but Zaid always shied away from them. They looked especially strong and highly experienced in combat, which is something that Zaid would have normally been stoked over, but something about them gave him the worst feeling, so he did his best to keep his distance whenever they were around. He wondered what could be so important that they were visiting his little village so much lately, and he'd made a mental note to ask his mother to explain it to him sometime, but Zaid never found a good time to bring it up with how busy she'd been. She’d been no fun lately, anyway. His father had also stayed busy forging some of his finest creations more and more often lately, which Zaid thought was super cool, but it meant he had to leave his father alone most of the time so that he could better focus on his work. Lost in his thoughts, Zaid wandered into the forest on the outskirts of the village where he and Doug would go frequently to train together.

Zaid walked a bit deeper in the wooded area than he'd normally go, finding his way to a modestly-sized clearing with several freshly cut tree stumps, which meant he was in the right place. Zaid had become so familiar with this forest that he knew it like the back of his hand by now, and he knew the village lumberjacks had gathered a lot of lumber recently, so he was confident that he'd find tree stumps in the area. Without an actual person to train with, tree stumps had always been Zaid’s go-to training method. He never had to hold back anything with them, so he could focus more on building up his brute strength over his defense or agility using this method. He figured it was a rather fair compromise on days when he had to be alone. The persistently falling snow that had progressively become heavier coupled with the heavy coat Zaid wore would definitely make swordplay a bit more difficult than normal, but he saw these as obstacles to overcome so that he could become an even stronger fighter one day, so it didn't bother him much.

"Stupid baby, stupid Doug," Zaid grumbled as he withdrew his wooden sword and began rapidly striking at a defenseless stump.

"Who needs you, anyway? Not me!"

The small dwarf kept striking and striking the stump, his bottled-up frustration fueling his strength. Why didn't Doug ever take him seriously? Zaid was just as strong as he was, and with Zaid being the future chief, Doug should just do whatever he says, anyway.

"When I see you again we're gonna fight," Zaid shouted, "and I'll show you who's the strongest once and for all! And then you gotta say you're sorry for ever doubting me!"

Zaid's strikes became erratic and off-center the more he shouted, the more he let his emotions get the best of him. As he became more and more frustrated and forceful, he lost the grip of his sword on his final strike, sending it flying from his hands and twirling through the air, landing silently in the snow a short distance away. Zaid didn't react at first and stood motionless, quietly processing his thoughts and feelings. He didn't like getting this angry over something so stupid and trivial. Zaid wondered if perhaps he was seeking a close companionship with Doug to prepare for the inevitability of feeling ignored by his parents in favor of a new baby, and maybe that's why he'd always gotten so worked up when Doug wouldn't take him seriously. He knew deep down that he shouldn’t feel so envious of any attention being diverted to a new baby though, and that it would probably be a lot of fun to train a younger sibling once they grew up a little. Still, Zaid just couldn’t help these negative thoughts from manifesting. Sure, it was unfair to make Doug unknowingly shoulder all of Zaid’s insecurities, but Zaid didn’t have anyone else to turn to. Besides, Doug should just do whatever he says, anyway.

Zaid snapped back to reality when he suddenly realized just how late it had gotten. It was difficult to tell with the ever-persistent snow falling, but Zaid figured that the sun had probably dipped underneath the horizon by now, and darkness would quickly be falling upon the village. Even with how well Zaid knew the area, the last thing he wanted was to be out in the woods after dark in the snow, so he grabbed his snow-covered sword with haste and decided it was time to make his way back to the village.

The snow was coming down even heavier now than it was before, making it especially difficult for Zaid to see the trees that lined the way back to the village. He was grateful that he'd become so accustomed to the layout with how often he'd traversed the woods with Doug, so even with the snowflakes dancing through the air, he was confident he knew where he was going. Zaid wondered if anyone had noticed that he was gone, and he wondered if they’d been worried about him at all, but he figured he'd deal with the ramifications of that after he warmed up with some of his mother's hot soup. He could almost swear he caught a whiff of his mother’s cooking already…

...Wait. Something wasn't right. Zaid wasn't far from the village by any means, but even on the coldest of days, he wouldn't normally be able to smell the distinctive, smoky scent of wood-burning fireplaces from this far. Not only that, but this smell seemed more dark and sinister somehow, as if there were several other things besides wood being burned. For some reason, this unusual scent gave Zaid a wave of intense nausea, but he managed to suppress it for the time being. He shook his head and slapped both hands against his cheeks to help clear his mind, there was no point in pondering whatever this weird smell could be when he could just go find out for himself, so he picked up his pace to a brisk jog. Within only minutes, smoke began to fill the air around him, smoke so thick and heavy that when combined with the snow, Zaid could barely see his own hand in front of him. Zaid was now panicked and running as fast as his frozen, numb feet could carry him, adrenaline and anxiety fueling his actions and coursing through his body. As he came out of the forest and approached the outskirts of town, his heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

Every home, every building that he could make out underneath the thick, black smoke, was nothing more than a pile of charred wood and stone. Any structure that still remained standing was quickly burning, soon to be yet another collapsed pile of charred rubble. There did not appear to be a single structure that was not either on fire or collapsed. Even odder, Zaid could not see a single person trying to quell the flames, nor a single person running in fear or helping others. Zaid didn't stop to think about who or what could have caused this hellish sight as he ran top-speed in the direction of his home, hoping that it would somehow, by some miracle, still be there. He passed by several people sprawled out on the ground on the way and felt sickened by the sight, but he did not--could not--stop to check on anyone; the crimson-stained snow around each individual was enough to tell him that they were no longer of this world. Hot tears began to sting his eyes as he thought about what might have become of his parents, but he had no choice other than to believe they were okay. Zaid knew his parents were stronger than anyone. His mother was the chief and his father was the master blacksmith, so there was no way they'd be taken out from whatever fiendish being could have caused all this death and destruction.

Zaid’s lungs felt as though they were engulfed in flame as he breathlessly approached his home--or what remained of it--only to see his parents trying their best to fight off soldiers of some sort, which made him think back to the intimidating soldiers he’d seen in passing around town before. Zaid had always been able to see their faces back then, and they didn't seem all that different from dwarves for being humans. This time though, these people were fully-armored from head to toe, but their armor happened to bear the same insignia as the soldiers from before, so Zaid could only come to the conclusion that these were the very same humans who had been hanging around the village lately. Zaid didn't take the time to think about what all of this meant; all of his focus laid upon his parents--his strong, capable, invincible parents--both of which appeared to be losing this fight somehow. Zaid knew he had to act, he had to do something, anything, before it was too late.

Zaid charged in without a second thought, yelling at the top of his lungs as he struck one of the human soldiers with his wooden sword. That was the plan, at least. Instead, Zaid was swiftly kicked away with a full-force blow to his torso, as though he were merely an insect, a small annoyance, and nothing more than that. Zaid landed a short distance away, struggling to breathe with the wind knocked out of him. He struggled to get back up and continue the fight, but doubled over when the sharp, intense pain radiating from his ribcage shot through the rest of his body and prevented him from fighting back as the soldier approached him, a particularly dark and evil aura full of malice radiating off of him. The soldier stood in front of the boy, crumpled helplessly on the ground, and began kicking his already-injured ribcage over and over again with vile laughter ringing throughout the snowy air. Once the soldier finally had enough fun tormenting the child, he readied his blade, preparing to put an end to this. The metallic taste of blood was overtaking Zaid's senses, but he found the strength to turn his head to at least look at his attacker before accepting that this was the end. The normally silver sheen of the sword the soldier bore was dull, stained with the blood of all that had been slain. A flash of recognition went through Zaid’s mind as he looked upon the soldier's blade; it had the distinctive shape of his father’s craftsmanship. Zaid felt disgusted as he wondered just how many of his own brethren had been slain using this sword, a sword that his own father had crafted with such care. Did the soldiers come here only for his father’s forging skills, and later decide they no longer needed him? What a terrible way to be killed, Zaid thought, by a disgusting human who would take advantage of his family in such a way.

Zaid's mind was rapidly becoming hazy as he began to lose focus on the world around him, so he could not hear his parents desperately shouting his name in the background, and he did not notice when his mother tackled his attacker from behind, but he definitely felt the blow of the sword's strike against his face right as he lost consciousness. Zaid's mind faded into nothingness, for how long he was unsure, but he awakened to see both of his parents' blood and tear-stained faces staring back at him, terror and worry plastered across their features.

"Zaid, oh, thank the gods you're alive!" Amira cried out as she embraced her wounded son tightly, carefully avoiding putting any additional pressure on his battered torso.

"Mama, what... What's going on?" Zaid asked weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Zaid, listen to me very carefully,” Amira spoke in a sudden, serious tone. “You're going to have to hide and be very, very quiet. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"

"Wha... What, no! I wanna.. I wanna fight too! I wanna... Wanna help you.. You’re not s’posed to be fighting, ‘member?" Zaid protested with slurred together words, his mind still far too hazy to fully grasp the situation.

"Amira, they're coming," Zander warned, worry evident in his voice. She nodded, understanding what had to be done.

Amira stood with uneasy footing, her son held safely in her arms, and the trio approached the remains of their home. A sad and longing look clouded Amira's eyes briefly, but she quickly focused herself and began desperately searching, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, that would be safe for her precious son. Her gaze landed on what seemed to be the remains of their fireplace, and she took action to give Zaid someplace to hide. Just earlier today, there would have been a delicious meal cooking above a roaring fire for the three of them to share, and they were supposed to be eating it together right about now. Zander should be finishing up his forging for the day, and Amira should have been relentlessly teasing him about who knows what, and Zaid would have been there with them, happy and without a care in the world. That's the way things should have been right now. Instead, Zaid was being hidden in the remains of their happy home inside of a cramped old fireplace, each of his parents moving with haste to hide their son under just enough rubble for it to be unnoticeable. As the distant sound of cavalry approached, Zander and Amira realized their time was short, so the two of them kneeled down far enough to where Zaid would be able to see them through the empty spaces of his makeshift hiding place.

"Zaid, you're going to have to hide here and be very quiet, okay?" Zander said, his ordinarily soft and gentle voice coming out unnaturally rough and raspy.

"But--"

"Zaid, listen to us. We're going to fight, but no matter what happens, you have to stay here. No matter what happens, you have to be brave, you have to be strong, and you have to be as quiet as you can."

"Mama... Papa..."

"Remember, you're going to be chief one day, right? The best there ever was. So promise me you'll stay right here, okay?" Amira smiled, though the tears streaming down her cheeks betrayed her happy facade.

"Mama... Don’t cry… I promise."

Amira continued to smile and wiped away the tears at her eyes; she did not want Zaid's final memories of her to be of her crying face. As a final gesture, she quickly plucked the blue and red feathers she kept wrapped in her ponytail and managed to just barely squeeze her hand through a space in the rubble, tucking the feathers snugly behind Zaid's ear.

"There, now everyone will know you're the chief. We love you so much, sweetie. Always remember, _goodness and love will always win_."

Amira and Zander held one another's hand as they nodded and stood upon their injured, shaky legs. They lovingly gazed into each other's silver eyes one last time before withdrawing their weapons, quickly making their way outside of the remains of their home as to not draw the soldiers' attention toward their son. Zaid could still see them through the small spaces of the rubble, if only barely, but it was enough to be able to somewhat see what was going on. He saw his parents embrace one another--why would they be doing that in the middle of a battle? Zaid really didn't understand much of what was going on at all; why were soldiers even attacking to begin with, and why were they killing people? Why did his parents tell him to hide here and be quiet? Why was his mother acting like he had to be the chief right now? There would be plenty of time later, wouldn’t there? They were acting as though they'd never see each other again, which was something Zaid couldn't entirely wrap his head around, but he came back to reality once he heard the sounds of steel clashing against steel and the fierce cries of battle.

It was difficult for Zaid to make out exactly what was going on; the combination of heavy snow and smoke along with being buried under a pile of rocks greatly hindered his ability to follow the flow of the ongoing fight, but he could tell that his parents were definitely outnumbered.

This is bad, he thought. It was already clear when his parents had hidden him under all this rubble that they were beaten up and exhausted, so things didn't look good for them being outnumbered by so many soldiers, but Zaid had promised to stay hidden here no matter what, and he didn't intend to break that promise. As the seconds progressed and things went from bad to worse, it became apparent that Zaid's parents were going to lose this fight. Zaid held his hands tightly over his mouth. He didn't trust himself to not shout out at the soldiers, and he was absolutely certain that if his body wasn't so bruised and battered and his face wasn't wounded, he'd burst out of this rocky prison and go fight alongside his parents. He just hoped and prayed to whatever gods might be listening that there would be some sort of miracle and his parents would win this fight, that they would come out of everything okay. Even if they were taken as prisoners, at this point Zaid would consider that a good outcome; at least he could go save them if that were to happen.

Both Amira and Zander were excellent fighters, but they could only fight for so long before they completely exhausted themselves. It seemed as though the soldiers were toying with them at this point; they laughed at every weak swing of Zander’s sword and mocked the way Amira would cry out in pain with every clumsy movement, all the while shoving them both to the ground over and over again, cackling as they would slowly rise back up and continue to fight. Zaid didn't even realize that he'd started crying again until the salt from his tears stung the fresh wound on his face, but he didn't dare make even the smallest attempt to wipe them away; he knew they'd just keep coming with the direction things had been going. Zaid didn't dare remove his hands from covering his mouth; he couldn't even scream when he saw the soldier's sword pierce right through his mother, a ghastly scream escaping her throat unlike any he had ever heard before, or when another soldier sliced the back of his father, spilling more blood to the ground than Zaid had ever seen from just one person.

The soldiers laughed and laughed, they laughed at Zaid’s loving, strong, invincible parents, and continued laughing as they both collapsed lifelessly onto the frozen, crimson-stained ground with a sickening thud. Zaid could feel the bile rising up in his throat as his stomach lurched and rolled, and he felt a numbing, tingling sensation coursing throughout his veins as though his entire body was on fire. He was shaking profusely and had broken out into a cold sweat, and he had to fight desperately to keep his promise; he wanted nothing more than to rush out there and rip all these disgusting humans to shreds with his bare hands. He couldn't even so much as scream, not with all these soldiers around, so he did the only thing he could do right now and squeezed his eyes shut, crying silently and hoping this was all some sort of horrible, sick nightmare.

When Zaid opened his eyes, he realized that everything was now pitch black and silent, and he wondered for a moment if he had died. His mind was groggy and he didn't remember where he was or what he was doing at first, but when he felt the sharp, throbbing pain of the open wound on his face, everything came rushing back to him and the tears began uncontrollably spilling from his eyes, stinging his blood-stained face. He took several deep breaths in an attempt to quiet himself as he took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness, and listened closely for any signs of movement in the area. When everything seemed to be clear minutes later, Zaid pushed the rubble out from in front of him causing several larger pieces to tumble down atop his head, but he didn't slow down for even a moment and quickly emerged from the rubble that had been protecting him. He tried standing up only to immediately collapse back onto the snow-covered ground. Zaid didn't realize just how badly his body had been injured, so much so that even breathing hurt him terribly. Still, he had no choice but to push himself and stood weakly upon his feet, numb from the cold of the night.

Zaid's eyes had properly adjusted to the darkness now; the snowstorm had cleared and the snow shone brilliantly and brightly, reflecting the brilliant starlight that was on display across the deep darkness of the night sky. Normally this would have been quite a beautiful and breathtaking display, but all Zaid could focus on were the countless lifeless corpses of the dwarves that lined the once-bustling and lively roads of the village. The smell of charred homes and blood heavily lingered in the air, and Zaid fell back down to his knees, unable to keep himself from getting sick to his stomach any longer. Even the beautiful silvery blanket of snow had been stained with blood, this was all too much for him to bear.

Once Zaid's stomach calmed some, his eyes reluctantly fell to where his parents had fallen. He had almost hoped that if he didn't look to where they had fallen, they wouldn't have been there and none of this would have been real. He'd hoped that both of his parents would rush up from behind him and scoop him into their arms, laughing happily. They would apologize for making him worry so much and everything would be okay, and they could start their lives over together someplace safe, but that would never come to be. When Zaid's eyes found them, they were exactly where they had been left to die by the soldiers. They were still there, sprawled out on the ground in pools of their own blood that had been absorbed by the snow, motionless and deathly pale.

Zaid felt numb as he slowly stood upon his feet again and weakly limped his way over to where his parents lie. He already knew what to expect, but when he kneeled down beside them and put his hand upon his mother's cold, lifeless body, reality hit him hard, and his legs gave out underneath him. Zaid let out a primal, animalistic scream in a voice he did not recognize as his own and started beating the ground in anger and frustration. He kept screaming out over and over again until his throat was raw and his voice gave out, and he kept pummeling the ground until his knuckles were bleeding profusely. He kept this up for what felt like an eternity, not wanting to accept the sight in front of him, not wanting to accept the fate of his tribe. No longer would his mother be there to tease him, or to comfort him when he would get injured. No longer would his father be there to share words of wisdom about weapons and secrets of the forge. No longer would Zaid even be able to train alongside Doug or make up with any of the children; he couldn't even be the chief anymore because there was no tribe to be the chief of any longer.

"Why?! Why did this happen?! You were s’posed to teach me how to forge! You said I was gonna be a big brother! I was gonna learn how to be the chief! I can't do it by myself!" Zaid cried out, his throat in agony and his voice hoarse, to the parents that could no longer hear him, could no longer be there for him to tell him everything would be okay.

"You lied to me! Why did you have to hide me and fight?! I could have... I could have helped! I shouldn't have been the only one to live!"

Zaid stayed on the frozen ground with his face buried in his arms sobbed uncontrollably all night, his stomach painfully retching over and over long after it was empty, and he continued screaming and sobbing for hours until the sun came up, painting its warm pastel colors across the winter sky. Zaid no longer felt any sense of joy from the sunrise though; he felt nothing at a display such as this that would have once left him in total awe. He blankly stared up to the sky, emptiness in his once fierce and bright eyes, wondering why fate had to be so cruel and leave him all alone while it took everything else from him.

Zaid knew that he was getting weak, so weak, and that he hadn't eaten a thing since the morning of the day prior. He ignored the angry growls of his empty stomach; he didn't much feel like eating right now, and even if he did, he knew that it would just come back up soon after. His hands and feet were all completely numb by this point, and he hadn't been able to feel his fingers for hours now. He wondered if they had become frostbitten but didn't really care; he didn't have enough strength left to even get up from this spot if he tried, so it didn't really matter one way or the other. Zaid could feel his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and he felt his breathing slow considerably. He knew full well what falling asleep in the snow while he was this weak would mean for him but he didn't care, he'd made his decision. Zaid would rather die than continue living in such a cruel and painful world all by himself, so he would simply fall asleep right next to where his parents lie and join them.

"Sorry Mama... Papa. I can't be the chief after all..."

Zaid felt his mind fade into the warm, comforting embrace of sleep and thought that would be the end of it, but fate had something else in store for the young dwarf. Zaid soon felt his small, frozen body being lifted and carried off somewhere, and while he was far too weak to open his eyes, he felt safe. He wondered if he was being carried into the afterlife by one of his parents and smiled at the thought, feeling a sense of comfort for the first time in several long, agonizing hours. Zaid was ready to accept his fate and knew everything would be okay from now on, and he was ready to wake up among people that he was proud to call his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'( do you know how much it hurt to write this


	4. You Can Do Anything if You Try

Zaid weakly opened his eyes, the brightness of his surroundings adding more pain to the already pounding headache he found himself suffering from. For a moment he had forgotten about the horrible nightmare that had transpired, but it all came rushing back once he tried to move and felt the sharp pain from his ribs radiate throughout his body. Zaid brought a hand to his face and found that his wound had been bandaged, much to his surprise, but even the pressure of touching the bandages was too far much to bear as he winced in pain.

He sighed as he gave up on trying to move and stared at the ceiling. All he could think about was the sight of his parents being murdered right in front of his eyes, and he wondered if he'd ever be able to feel anything other than rage and emptiness ever again. Still, he found himself feeling numb to any feelings right now, so he sighed again and attempted to look around the room without moving his body.

As his silver eyes scanned the room, he realized he was inside of someone's home, although it seemed to be more tent-like than a standard house. It was very tidy and seemed to be rather well-kept, and it was quite cozy, too. The floors were lined with intricate rugs and piles of books were placed upon the tables, some of which were still opened, as though someone had been in the middle of reading when they had left. Perhaps the owner of this place was a bookworm of some sort, which reminded Zaid that he needed to find out who the owner of this unfamiliar place was. Perhaps there had been another survivor who had found Zaid and taken him somewhere safe. Who else would have picked him up out of nowhere, brought him to this strange place, and tended to his wounds? If that had been the case, Zaid had something he wished to discuss with that person. Much more slowly and carefully this time, Zaid attempted to sit up once again. He fought through the pain until he was sitting semi-upright in the most comfortable sitting position he was probably going to get for the time being, and as if right on cue, someone pulled aside the flap of the tent and entered.

"Ah, I see you're awake. You really shouldn't be moving yet."

A man that Zaid did not recognize entered the room and Zaid immediately felt the anxiety rise up within. What if this man was one of the attackers? What if Zaid had been brought here to be tortured for having the nerve to not immediately die? His thoughts were quickly spiraling out of control, but they slowed to a halt when he noticed that this man had a long and slender horn right in the middle of his forehead. Zaid thought back to the people who had attacked him and killed his parents. He couldn't see any defining features behind their armor of course, but they had all been wearing round helmets, which this mysterious stranger wouldn't have been able to do with that horn of his. Still, Zaid's heart dropped when he realized that his rescuer had in fact not been another survivor of his tribe.

The man pushed his long and silky-smooth lavender hair behind one of his pointed ears and adjusted his glasses, clearing his throat.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to fetch some tea. It seems as though you could use it."

"W-wait a second, hold on!" Zaid managed to croak out, his voice rough and his throat sore and dry.

The horned man stared at him quizzically, waiting for the young boy to continue.

"Where am I? Who are you? Where are my parents? Why am I here?"

"Now, now, one question at a time," the man said, a hint of warmth present in his voice.

"Why--Why did you bring me here?! I wanted to stay there! I wanna be with my family!" Zaid shouted, finally feeling that familiar sense of rage as anger coursed through his veins.

"Are you implying we should have left you for dead?"

"You should've just left me alone! I didn't wanna be rescued!" Zaid shouted as he balled his hands into fists, causing the wounds on his knuckles to reopen and bleed through the bandages.

The older man stood there observing Zaid but saying nothing, his chin in his hand as if deep in thought. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but decided not to at the last second and withdrew back into his thoughts. Silence filled the air between Zaid and this strange man until the sound of rustling canvas broke the awkwardness, and a woman pushed aside the flap of the tent and made her entrance.

"What is all the commotion?" the woman asked both Zaid and the purple-haired man.

This woman looked a lot like the mysterious man, only instead of purple hair, hers was a dusty-blonde color. Just like the man, she also wore glasses and bore a horn on her forehead. Zaid wondered what sort of people these were. They weren't humans or dwarves, that was for sure, and he didn't think they were elves either, although he'd never actually seen one in real life before.

"Pardon me Kuruna, I was about to get our young guest some tea when he had an outburst. If you'll excuse me."

The man bowed his head and excused himself as he exited the tent, leaving Zaid and this woman together alone. Kuruna nodded as her companion left, and then turned her attention toward the young dwarf with a soft, kind smile upon her face.

"Now, could you tell me your name, young man? My name is Kuruna, and I'm happy to have you with us."

Zaid was still boiling with rage. What right did these people have to take him away from his home, the only place he had ever known? He had already made peace and accepted his fate, what right did an outsider have to take that away from him?

"I wanted to stay there with Mama and Papa, why did you bring me here?! I wanna go home, now!" Zaid shouted, his throat becoming progressively rawer the more he raised his voice.

"I see, so those people we found you next to were... Oh, you poor, poor boy."

The woman lowered herself to Zaid's eye level and embraced him. Zaid didn't know how to react to this sudden display of affection--the only people to ever hug him this way were his parents, so why was this weird lady hugging him all of a sudden? Zaid wondered if this woman felt pity for him and was enraged at the thought. He wanted to shove her away, to push her off of him, but instead, he became overwhelmed with emotion began to wail. Kuruna continued hugging him while he wept, unable to understand precisely what he must be going through or the loneliness that he must be feeling, but wanting to comfort him nonetheless. Several minutes passed and Zaid's sobs began to slow, so Kuruna took the cue and withdrew, placing her hands upon Zaid's shoulders as she examined him.

Zaid had been asleep for two entire days, and his entire body still looked incredibly frail and weak. It appeared as though he had cracked some ribs, and he had an awful gash upon his face that Kuruna had taken upon herself to bandage up. His knuckles were swollen, bloody, and bruised, and his hands and feet had been completely frozen; it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't lost them to frostbite. Anywhere that he hadn't had cuts or scrapes had been badly bruised, and even with Kuruna's healing magic, she had been unsure as to whether or not Zaid would pull through, but she was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief that he had finally awakened.

"I will not apologize for bringing you here. Ondorus and I couldn't just leave you there to die. But I am terribly sorry for what happened to your family," Kuruna stated, withdrawing her hands from Zaid's shoulders.

"Are they... Are they still there?" Zaid asked in a hushed voice, afraid of what the answer may be.  
  
Kuruna smiled, warmth and reassurance in her eyes.

"We immediately brought you back here when we found you. We had been passing through the area and happened to go through your village when we found you, barely holding onto life. We searched everywhere, but you appeared to be the only one... I am so, so sorry. But worry not, Ondorus and some of our comrades went back and gave everyone a proper burial, and we would be more than happy to take you there to pay your respects once you've healed completely if you wish."

Zaid sniffled. He had known deep down that hoping for any other survivors had been too good to be true. Those soldiers were ruthless, bloodthirsty monsters, and they had made very clear that they'd wanted no survivors when they'd burned everything to the ground.

"I'm sure you're wondering where you are right now," Kuruna said, breaking the silence with a change in topic. "You see, we live in a settlement where all sorts of non-humans can live together in peace and harmony. Dwarves, elves, monsters, and Univir like me, can all come together here. Think of it as a sanctuary for those that have been cast out of society or for those who have lost their homes; even those just passing through in need of shelter are welcome."

"So... There aren't any humans here?" Zaid asked, bitterness apparent in his voice.

"Absolutely not, the hornless are not welcome here. Right now it is just you, Ondorus and myself, and a young elf, but rest assured that humans will never be permitted here."

"Good. If there were any here I'd have ripped them to shreds."

Kuruna lightly gasped, taken aback at the words coming out of this child's mouth. If humans had been responsible for the state his hometown had been in when she and Ondorus found him, she could hardly blame him for feeling that way, but hearing such words from someone so young was still a shock. Kuruna didn't really mind though, she hated humans too after all, and if this young boy wanted to hold those responsible for such destruction accountable she was not going to stand in his way. The purple-haired man, not wishing to interrupt, quietly slipped back into the tent and placed a cup of tea in front of Zaid.

"Drink this, child. It will help your throat to heal," he said.

Zaid nodded and grunted in pain as he tried repositioning himself. Kuruna stood and helped him sit in an upright position, carefully avoiding putting any extra pressure on his battered and bruised body. She continued supporting his weight with one arm and used her free hand to pick up the warm cup of tea on the table and brought it to his mouth, which Zaid happily accepted. He must have been much thirstier than he thought; this tasted absolutely heavenly and he had never been much of a tea fan before. He could tell the soothing warmth and gentle taste of the tea was already healing his weary body and soul, and the horned man had been right; Zaid's throat was starting to feel just a tad bit better. When Zaid was finished, Kuruna lowered the now empty cup and smiled.

"Thanks. Oh, I'm Zaid," Zaid said, finally putting aside his anger and introducing himself.

"Well Zaid, it's a pleasure to meet you. As I stated before, my name is Kuruna, and I am the elder of this settlement. And this here," she motioned in Ondorus's direction, "is Ondorus."

"You're the... Elder? What's that mean?"

"Well, we Univir are quite long-lived, so I'm actually quite a bit older than I appear. I was appointed to this role long ago, and though I am one of the very last of my kind, I intend to lead our humble settlement with pride."

"Last of your kind... Leading with pride..."

"Hm? Is something the matter?"

Zaid shook his head.

"Nah, it's nothing."

Kuruna smiled again and bowed her head, deciding to take her leave and give Zaid some time to himself, which Ondorus quickly followed, and Zaid was left alone to gather his thoughts. He soon came to realize he'd have plenty of time to gather his thoughts; time passed very slowly as his wounds continued to heal, and he had to rely on the help of the two Univir to do much of anything. Zaid, being a restless, impatient child, did not make this easy. He constantly tried to push himself despite Kuruna's scolding and despite his body's current limits, but Zaid remained ever persistent and never gave up despite the Univir's best efforts in making him rest.

Weeks passed by, and while Zaid was still making quite a bit of progress recovering, he had only very recently regained the strength to walk on his own. It was Ondorus who suggested that enough time had passed to take Zaid to his village, and while Kuruna was hesitant to take him there so soon, she decided that as long as Zaid was supervised the whole time, he would be fine. So, here Zaid was, standing in the remnants of his hometown, unsure of what to do with the feelings brewing within.

Zaid silently wandered, emptiness and despair clouding his usually bright eyes. He wasn't quite sure why he wanted to come here so badly, or what he should do now that he was here. He had almost hoped that there would be survivors upon coming here, and they'd be busy working together and rebuilding their homes. Of course, Zaid knew that there had been no other survivors, so it was no surprise that everything had been left in the same ruined state that he last saw it. While Zaid took in his surroundings, Kuruna was in the nearby remains of a home rummaging through the debris to see if anything could be salvaged, hoping that there may be books of some sort that had been spared, offering a history of the now lost tribe.  
  
While Kuruna was on her own mission, Ondorus watched Zaid closely. It was clear that the boy was feeling lost as his shoulders hung forward limply and his movements seemed dazed. Ondorus wondered if Kuruna had been right, that bringing Zaid here so soon after what he had been through was a mistake. Perhaps it had been, but Zaid needed some form of closure in order to move on, so Ondorus decided to help Zaid move in the right direction and approached him, placing a hand upon his small shoulder.

"Would you like me to take you to them? Your family," Ondorus asked, careful to be delicate with the topic.

Zaid looked at the ground blankly, saying nothing, but nodding in response. Ondorus squeezed the small boy's shoulder in affirmation walked forward to lead the way, looking back to make sure Zaid followed. Zaid caught up and followed closely behind, holding tightly onto the Univir's cloak. Zaid knew it was probably irrational, but he was afraid that soldiers were hiding in wait and would come attacking again at any moment. What if they had realized that Zaid had survived and decided to come after him? Zaid's hands began to tremble at the thought, which Ondorus took notice of, but didn't bring to attention. As they kept walking, Zaid noticed that there were no longer bodies lining the streets, but the smell of blood still lingered heavily in the air, causing him to remember that night and making his stomach churn. Before Zaid had the chance to break down, Ondorus came to a halt, and Zaid, not paying attention, bumped into him with a sharp, surprised squeal.

"Here we are," Ondorus said while extending his arm, motioning for Zaid to take a look.

Most of the town had been unrecognizable after what the soldiers had done, but Zaid immediately recognized this place as the training grounds where his mother had carefully trained countless warriors. Zaid used to watch them so longingly, anxiously awaiting the day where he would be one of the trainees. His heart sank at the thought that those training grounds he loved so much was now the site of his parents' graves, but at the same time, there didn't seem to be a more fitting place for those who had so valiantly fought to defend their home to the very end.

Ondorus and his monster comrades had clearly been hard at work; each and every grave had some sort of headstone, though none of them had been marked with names. Zaid tried counting how many graves were here, but knowing that each one of these people was someone he had been familiar with was at the forefront of his mind and he kept losing count. Some of the graves had weapons or belongings lying atop the soil and some were bare, and Zaid wondered if Ondorus even remembered which grave belonged to his parents.

"Um... Which ones are my parents, do you remember? Mama had a tattoo on her arm..." Zaid said, trying to suppress the hard, painful lump forming in his throat.

"Quite a few people had tattoos, could you describe them in more detail? I recall that they were next to you when we found you, but you were in such a critical state that I cannot remember any defining features."

"Well... Mama was tan and had freckles, and her hair was brown and always up in a messy ponytail. She had a tattoo on her left arm, the Mark of the Warrior, and she always had feathers in her hair... Oh, but I guess I have those now," Zaid explained, as he touched the feathers that remained nestled behind his ear. "Papa was really tall, and his hair was the same color as mine. He was the best blacksmith ever, and he always had a little bit of a beard growing in even though he shaved every single day... And he always had Mr. Slice with him..."

Zaid couldn't stop the tears from pouring out at this point; he'd done so much crying lately that he wondered how long it would be until his tears completely dried up. Ondorus nodded in understanding and squeezed Zaid's shoulder again to get his attention, leading him to two specific graves that were close together, one of which had a very particular sword lying atop it.

"Most weapons that I came across were strewn about haphazardly, but I noticed this one was being held particularly tightly by a man fitting your description. I believe your parents are right here. I shall give you time to pay your respects," Ondorus said with a bow of his head, leaving the area to give Zaid some privacy.

As soon as Ondorus was a fair distance away, Zaid fell to his knees and let his emotions free. He sobbed and wailed, finally having to accept the fact that everything he loved and cared about was gone forever, never to return. Zaid cried and cried until it felt like he couldn't possibly cry any more, and then he tried his best to focus on the task at hand, taking in a deep breath. More than anything, he didn't want his parents to be looking over him in the afterlife thinking he was a crybaby, so as painful as this was, Zaid had to try his best to be strong now.

"Hi Mama... Pops. I didn't die, and I hid and stayed quiet, just like you said. I'm gonna be staying with some nice unicorn-looking people from now on. They're really nice, they saved me and buried all you guys. I'm sorry I was so weak... I couldn't save you and I got hurt. But I swear I'll get stronger. I gotta get strong and avenge you guys, right? So... Thank you for protecting me. I guess this is goodbye. I'll come to visit again someday, promise."

Zaid bowed his head, something he had seen adults do out of respect for the dead, and glanced towards his father's sword. As a master blacksmith, Zaid's father had been the target of bandits once or twice before, so there was no reason to leave his signature weapon out here where anyone could steal it. Zaid decided right then and there that he would take it. He would be Mr. Slice's new master and would honor his father by becoming a strong warrior using his sword. With this, he wouldn't even have the need to know how to forge; all he'd need was the basic knowledge of how to keep the sword sharp, clean, and strong, things simple enough that Zaid's father had been able to teach him before his death.

Zaid stood up slowly, sword in hand, and safely tucked it into the waistband of his pants, careful that it wasn't at an angle to where he'd injure himself. He made his way carefully toward the edge of the training grounds, careful to not step on any graves, and approached the area where Ondorus had been waiting. Ondorus noticed as Zaid approached that his demeanor was quite different than it had been just moments earlier. He held himself in a more confident manner, and his expression no longer seemed lost and afraid, and instead, he looked as though he was fully prepared to face the future and whatever it may bring, brimming with confidence and enthusiasm. Ondorus smiled inwardly, glad that Zaid had apparently been able to get the proper closure that he needed in order to move on. Zaid was ready to move forward now that his spirits had been lifted with a newfound purpose in life--avenging his family's murder.

* * *

Time moved on and years passed. It had been nearly five years since Kuruna and Ondorus had taken Zaid in, and he was now fourteen years old. Ever since visiting his parents' graves that day, Zaid had dedicated every waking moment of his life to training with his father's sword. He had to get stronger no matter what in order to defend his parents' honor, and he wanted more than anything to avenge them. He couldn't train with actual people though, which made this more challenging. Kuruna and Ondorus used magic and weren't any good at sparring, and any other humanoids at the settlement had come and gone, moving forward with their lives. The friendly monsters at the settlement did not much care for the idea of fighting unless absolutely necessary, so they were no good as sparring partners, either. Luckily though, the lands of the Sol Terrano desert had an abundance of aggressive monsters, so Zaid spent his time fighting with goblin pirates in the harsh sands of the desert.

Zaid never had to wander too far from the settlement to find a good fight; there were always monsters eager for a good beating to be found nearby. Zaid was grateful that they stayed so close to the settlement; it just meant that he'd waste less time beating them to a pulp. Zaid's fighting style had grown very angry and aggressive as he had matured and he was far more forceful than he needed to be, which concerned Kuruna greatly. More than once Zaid had come back to the settlement with somewhat serious injuries stemming from his own reckless actions. He'd been scolded several times over injuries that could have easily been avoided if he had stopped to think things through instead of rushing into a fight with brute force, but it always seemed to fall upon deaf ears.

On this particular day, Kuruna was once again bandaging up one of Zaid's newest injuries, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth turned downward in a very displeased way.

"Honestly Zaid, you need to stop being so reckless and seriously consider your actions!"

"It's the only way for me to get tougher fast, you know that! If ten years of training makes someone really strong, then I can squeeze it down to five by just speeding things up! Besides, I've gotta get stronger if I ever wanna get revenge on those damn humans," Zaid argued.

"I find it hard to believe your parents would have approved of such reckless methods..." Kuruna sighed. "I hate the hornless more than anyone, but there's a limit. I just worry you're going to end up seriously hurt one of these days."

Zaid scoffed.

"I'm gonna be a real warrior and then everyone will see just how strong I am. Don't try to stop me."

A soft, warm glow came from Kuruna's palms as she used her magic to heal the last of Zaid's injuries.

"I will not stop you. Just, please... Be careful. We'd be in a lot of trouble without you around to fend off the more aggressive monsters," Kuruna said, her stern expression softening in appreciation.

"Heh, don't worry, no monsters are ever gonna get in the settlement as long as I'm around!" Zaid said, puffing out his chest. "Anyway, thanks, see ya!" He said as he abruptly jumped up and headed out of the tent in a rush.

"Zaid, did you hear a single word I just said?! Where do you think you're going?"

Zaid stopped in his tracks and sighed impatiently.

"I'm gonna go find that monster hideout! I know it's gotta be somewhere, I just know it!"

"We don't even know if such a place exists. We could really use your help here today," Kuruna pleaded.

"Come on, I'll be back before you even know I'm gone!"

"Zaid..."

"Anyway, thanks again Kuruna!" Zaid said with a wave, wasting no time as he turned around and ran back into the heat of the desert, ignoring any cries or pleas for him to stay.

Zaid's plan today was to find the hideout of the goblin pirates and eliminate it. He knew there had to be a hideout nearby somewhere; no matter how many of the goblins he took out, it seemed like there were more than double the amount the next day, so his plan was to find their hideout and take it out. These monsters had been particularly aggressive lately, and Zaid was not about to sit there and let them invade the settlement without a fight. Still, despite the dangers he faced by charging in headfirst, Zaid was actually glad that these monsters had become more aggressive; getting stronger would be no fun at all if he was stuck taking on the same weak monsters all the time. Fighting the same monsters day after day had gotten rather monotonous and boring; the only time Zaid actually felt he was in danger and risked injury anymore was when multiple monsters took him on at once. Since that had been happening increasingly often lately, it left Zaid feeling invigorated and ready to go, ready for more action.

The hot sun's rays came down in striking beams as Zaid wandered through the harshness of the Sol Terrano Desert, the heat reflecting off the sand and causing the sizzling air to ripple. He passed several towering skeletons of gigantic, ancient monsters, landmarks that he had gotten used to seeing since living here and exploring the desert sands day after day. Zaid had become surprisingly acclimated to the desert environment despite growing up in a more temperate climate, but with how the desert heat energized him and fueled his fighting spirit, Zaid wouldn't want it any other way.

He passed by a few more of the giant, ancient skeletons and entered a deeper, more rugged part of the desert that he had only visited a few times before. He descended a sandy slope which transitioned into a rocky, canyon-like area where the stone walls rose all around him, their colored layers vibrant with warm shades of red, yellow, and brown. He kept wandering and searching, easily taking out several small monsters without a second thought, but he'd already had enough of the small fries for one day. Zaid needed to face a tougher opponent soon or he felt as though he was going to lose his mind. He carried on, daydreaming about facing a truly worthy and fierce opponent, and suddenly halted when the sight of a small cave caught the corner of his eye. Zaid nearly jumped up and down from excitement--maybe this was the hideout! Curiosity took the best of him as he approached it, not bothering to be quiet or cautious in the process. 

Zaid made his way into the smaller-than-average entrance to the cave and noticed that the edges seemed quite unnatural and jagged; very different from the surrounding smooth walls of the canyon. He wondered if this cave had been dug out by something, but he didn't really care as long as something exciting awaited him. Much to his delight, goblin pirates soon made their presence known, firing crude projectiles and swinging their poorly-crafted swords in Zaid's direction. It appeared as though his hunch about the secret hideout had been spot-on, and wasted no time slaying each and every one of them, grinning all the while at the thought of becoming stronger and stronger with each monster slain. His excitement quickly faded when it merely took one swing of his blade to take down each one; even having multiple monsters attacking at once did nothing to make this more challenging.

Zaid sighed and sheathed his blade, making his way deeper into the hideout, still filled with disappointment at how easy the fight had been. As he made his way to the end of the cramped corridor, all he found was an empty room with some crudely made weapons, some empty wooden barrels, and a stone table of some sort. He clicked his tongue with annoyance; was it really that easy to take down a monster hideout? As he sulked and scanned the room hoping to at least find something interesting, a map laying atop the table caught his attention--could these monsters even read? Zaid snatched it up and examined it, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. He yelped out in fear and dropped the map when a small bug scurried across it, but shook his head and laughed soon after, picking the map back up to fully examine it. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach when he saw that the settlement had been circled with red on this map, which led Zaid to believe they had been planning some sort of attack. He felt the memories rush back of the massacre he witnessed all those years ago, but immediately squashed those fears by reminding himself that he had just eliminated the goblin pirates, so there was nothing to fear. And besides, there was no way they'd be smart enough to organize such an attack. Not only that, but these monsters were incredibly weak and dim-witted. Zaid shook his head and let out a short laugh, feeling like a fool for even considering it. He almost felt sorry for them for being so incredibly weak, and he was almost disappointed that there would be fewer monsters for him to fight now that the hideout was no more, weak as they were. Still, something seemed off. For a secret hideout, there sure weren't a whole lot of monsters here... Why was that? Where did they all go? Had he really slain so many from before that this was all that was left? Zaid felt prideful at the thought, but his pride was interrupted when the ground suddenly shook along with the sound of a distant explosion. He stuffed the map into his pocket and rushed outside, back to the settlement as quickly as his feet would carry him.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit! This can't happen, not again!"

Zaid rushed out of the canyon as quickly as he could, rushed past the giant skeletons, and made it back to the settlement, ignoring any and all monsters he encountered along the way. He stopped to catch his breath, hands on his knees. He'd made it back to the settlement in record time; he'd made it before it was too late. It had been overrun by monsters just as he had feared though, and it was clear that Kuruna and Ondorus alone would not be able to fend them all off. There was a small fire on one of the tents, but luckily the friendly monsters living in the settlement seemed to be preventing it from spreading to any other areas. Several goblin pirates were throwing barrels of some sort of powder which exploded on impact, and Kuruna was focusing all her efforts on hitting them with her magic before they had the chance to hit the ground and cause any real damage. Ondorus was busy holding off a separate group of thee goblins, but luckily things hadn’t gotten as severe as Zaid had feared; he was relieved that he made it in time to help. He didn't have the time to breathe a sigh of relief though; more monsters were approaching fast from behind, so Zaid readied himself and took care of wave after wave with one wide slice of his sword.

Once there was a small enough break in the waves of monsters for Zaid to check on his friends, he sheathed his sword with a breathy laugh. It's a good thing goblin pirates were so weak, otherwise, their numbers might be too overwhelming for even Zaid to take on, but it was difficult to hide the fact that he was out of breath and quickly running out of energy as he approached his friends' sides.

"Zaid, are you injured?" Kuruna asked as Zaid approached, ready to heal.

"Nah, I'm good. You guys alright though?"

"Yes, we are unharmed, thanks to your help," Kuruna said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It's not over yet. They will keep coming until their master is taken out, which, I'm afraid, is likely much, much larger than any of these common monsters," Ondorus explained.

"So wait, if I go find the giant pirate goblin and take him out, all these little guys will leave us alone? Sounds easy enough," Zaid said confidently with his hand upon the hilt of his sword.

"In theory, yes, but it's too dangerous for one person to take on alone. Besides, you're clearly exhausted, just look at yourself. You can't defeat the monster if you pass out from exhaustion first."

"So what, we're supposed to sit here and fight these guys off forever?!"

"Actually, it appears our problem has come to us," Kuruna said as she pointed out toward the desert horizon with a shaky finger.

Zaid and Ondorus looked to where she was pointing and saw a gargantuan goblin pirate in the distance surrounded by several of its smaller minions, and they were quickly approaching the settlement. Zaid grinned that confident grin of his. He was glad that his job just got that much easier, but Kuruna and Ondorus exchanged knowing, worried glances with one another. Over the past five years, Zaid had always been clear on his goal--revenge. He had grown up with an angry heart, and his ruthless fighting style reflected that. Ondorus had tried explaining before that fighting in such a way was not practical, and Zaid needed more tact and strategy or he'd end up exhausting himself and getting himself killed. Zaid didn't speak to him for about a week after that occurrence so Ondorus didn't bring it up again, but he had always wondered if vengeance was truly the best path for Zaid. Kuruna, on the other hand, did not oppose Zaid's hatred for humans in the least, but she wholeheartedly agreed that Zaid needed to hone his skills before he could ever hope to seek out revenge, for his own sake.

They watched helplessly as Zaid charged toward the giant goblin pirate knowing that they would be unable to convince him from doing so, and their concerns for the hotheaded dwarf became reality. Before Zaid could even get close enough to make an attempt to strike at the giant, he was batted off to the side with the back of the giant's hand, like he was nothing more than an annoying housefly. Still, despite being tossed carelessly across the scorching desert sand, Zaid pushed himself back up and charged back at the monster again, and again, and again, each time bearing the same result. Even as Zaid got progressively more injured, he refused to accept defeat and refused to yield for even a second, so he continued to get back up and fight as long as his body would still move.

After about the tenth time the monster struck him with his enormous hand, Zaid came crashing down near where Kuruna and Ondorus had been busy holding off the smaller monsters. He landed upon several storage boxes that had been filled with fruit and various other provisions, and Kuruna felt her heart sink when she looked at the dwarf's battered body. His clothes were torn and he was covered in blood and dirt, but he still attempted to force himself up each and every time and stagger his way back to the giant, even though it was clear he didn't have any chance of defeating it. Kuruna wanted more than anything to stop fighting and heal him, she wanted to comfort him and tell him everything was okay, but she couldn't stop repelling the smaller monsters for even a moment, or she feared they would overwhelm the settlement. Why was Zaid so persistent, why did he have to be so stubborn? Much to Kuruna's surprise though, when Zaid sat back up this time, he did not limp his way back over to the giant. He was clearly dazed after taking so much damage again and again, but he appeared to be looking around as though he was searching for something. As he looked around at the objects strewn about, his eyes settled upon a long, heavy rope lying across the sand.

"I got a plan, hang onto the other end this" Zaid said, standing faster than he should have been able to as he reached out and grabbed one end the rope. He took it in his hand and took off running, albeit clumsily, back toward the giant, ignoring how much his body screamed at him to stop and take a break.

Much to everyone's surprise, Zaid didn't try taking on the giant head-on this time. Instead, he ran underneath and between the giant's enormous, intimidating feet. He was getting dangerously close to being crushed multiple times, but since this was the only plan he could come up with in such a small amount of time, so he had no choice but to risk it all to save his home. The giant tried to swing at Zaid once again, but the erratic and unpredictable movements of the dwarf were enough to throw off the giant's aim, much to Zaid's relief. Once he had looped the rope around the giant's feet several times, he signaled for Kuruna and Ondorus to secure the end he had left there while he ran off in the opposite direction.

Zaid was exhausted, out of breath, and could barely keep standing at this point, but he refused to lose his home again. He pointed his sword shakily at the giant, smirking confidently as he tried taunting the beast into coming after him again.

"This is it, all or nothing... _Hey! Over here! Come and get me!_ " Zaid shouted as loudly as he could as he waved his arms erratically in the air, earning the monster's attention.

Luckily for Zaid, the monster took the bait and turned toward him, ready to attack the dwarf once more. Just as Zaid had planned, the monster couldn't even take a single step in his direction before its feet got caught up in the rope that had been tangled around its feet and ankles, and the giant fell loudly and clumsily to the ground. Zaid ran out of the way at top-speed, doing his best to get out of the way of the landing zone, and he managed to make it far enough out of the way to only be caught up in the enormous wave of dust and sand that formed when the giant's body hit the ground. Zaid laid sprawled out on the ground covered in sand and looking up to the sky. He was weak and injured, but he was still excited enough at his victory to pump a fist into the air before succumbing to his injuries and losing consciousness. He had somehow managed to make it out of this fight without getting crushed, which was definitely something to celebrate after taking on a monster of this scale one-on-one. Thankfully, the force of the titan's own weight upon hitting the ground was enough to cause its own demise, and the remaining smaller monsters retreated quickly and unceremoniously, leaving the settlement damaged, but still overall in one piece.

Kuruna glanced at Ondorus and the two nodded at one another, quickly running to the side of their fallen companion. Zaid was thankfully still alive, albeit beaten and bruised and absolutely caked in blood and sand, but he had made it out of this fight alive and that was all that mattered. Kuruna used her healing magic on Zaid right away, but she knew with so much damage, there was only so much that could be done with magic alone.

"Let's take him back to his tent and get him cleaned up," Kuruna commanded once her healing had done all it could do.

"And let's hurry."

After several hours, Zaid came to, the immense pain all throughout his body being the very first thing he noticed. This particular situation reminded him of when he'd been rescued from his hometown and first brought here, which caused him to chuckle dryly. He was glad that he had been able to do something this time, and that the settlement was safe. Still, he wondered just how he managed to keep going all that time after being batted around repeatedly.

"Damn, how did I survive that...?" Zaid whispered to himself as he stared at the ceiling, not realizing both Univir were in the room with him.

"Zaid... I'm so happy you're alright," Kuruna said, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Yes, but that was incredibly irresponsible of you," Ondorus scolded.

Zaid laughed sheepishly and slowly sat up, his bandaged torso radiating pain all throughout his body as he attempted to position himself upright.

"Y-yeah, sorry about that, guess I got carried away."

"You do realize why we're angry, don't you? While you ran off seeking some sort of hideout that may have not even existed to begin with, we were being overwhelmed. When we had an easy opportunity to win against them, you had already tired yourself out from being too headstrong and unrestrained in your fighting," Ondorus said, continuing to scold Zaid.

"What Ondorus says is true. We support you and want you to grow stronger, of course, but your actions have consequences. We just want you to consider these things so you won't get hurt."

"Listen, I... I'm sorry. I've only been thinkin' about myself, how I wanna get stronger to get revenge, and because of that, I... I don't wanna lose my home again, and I don't wanna lose you guys. So... I decided. From now on, I'm gonna forget about getting revenge. I still hate those damn humans for what they did, and I still wanna rip 'em to shreds, but if I can't even defend my home, what good am I? So from now on, I'm gonna protect you guys, protect the things I care about. That's what's really important to me."

Both Univir's expressions softened at Zaid's proclamation.

"I think that's very noble, and I can support that wholeheartedly," Ondorus said matter-of-factly as he pushed his glasses up.

"Zaid, I... I actually have several books from your old hometown. I brought them back with me when we visited all those years ago. I remember you mentioning in the past about your tribe having some sort of tattoo as proof of being a true warrior, yes?"

"Well yeah, but what's this got to do with anything?" Zaid asked, wondering what Kuruna's point was.

"Based on the way you strategized before defeating the giant and your newfound resolution, after thoroughly researching the topic, I believe you've truly grown into a fine young man. I believe you're worthy of bearing that tattoo, as proof that you're a true warrior."

"I agree with Kuruna. Although we're not members of your tribe and our opinions may not amount to much, I fully support her proposition," Ondorus agreed.

"You guys..." Zaid looked away and wiped his eyes with his bandaged arm. "Damn, some sand must've gotten in my eyes," Zaid said unconvincingly as he sniffled.  
  
"Well? I'll admit I'm no tattoo artist and we may have to find a traveling artist of some sort, but if you'd like to, then..."

"I... I've always wanted the Mark of the Warrior, but I mean... Are you sure you think I'm good enough after all that stuff you guys said about me being too reckless?"

"So long as you don't fall back into such reckless behavior that you blind yourself of what you hold dear, I believe you're more than worthy. As Ondorus said, we're not members of your tribe, but I am the elder of the settlement, so I hope my blessing can amount to something."

Zaid wiped his eyes and sniffled again.

"Yeah, then that'd be great! And uh, you guys aren't dwarves, sure, but... You're still my family," Zaid said, averting his eyes, face flushing. "B-but don't get the wrong idea! It's not like I need a family, I can take care of myself just fine!"

"Ah, there's the Zaid we all know and love," Kuruna said with light laughter filling the air.

The chilled air of the desert night echoed with laughter from both Kuruna and Ondorus along with the sounds of Zaid's protests, with wishes of happiness and new beginnings being carried through the wind, reaching up to the starry night sky. Zaid would never forget about what had happened all those years ago, but he was no longer going to let hatred consume his every waking moment. He was ready to start his training anew, to become someone truly worthy of bearing the Mark of the Warrior, and he was happy that he had a newfound family by his side to help him find his path along the way.


	5. Goodness and Love Will Always Win

The glow of the breaking dawn eventually made its appearance upon the horizon, and the morning sun soon crept up lazily into the summer sky, covering the sleeping duo on the deck of the airship within the warm glow of its soft rays. Zaid had stayed up entirely too late telling his story while Estellise listened to every single word intently, and without even realizing it, the two had eventually dozed off right on the floor of the ship, only to be awakened by the jolt of the ship finally anchoring on solid ground.

"Five more minutes..." Zaid muttered to no one in particular.

Estellise slowly sat up upon being jostled awake, stretching her arms up high into the sky. She slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them as they adjusted to the morning sunlight, and realized with glee that they had reached their destination.

"Hey, Zaid, come on, we're in Selphia," Estellise said, gently shaking her friend awake.

"Nnn, already?"

Zaid sat up, groggy and dazed from the combination of getting so little sleep and from being awakened so suddenly. He rubbed his eyes and then examined his surroundings, quickly scanning the area. Selphia appeared to be a great deal bigger and far more bustling than Sharance, and it was filled with so many more people. Zaid gulped. He'd gotten used to humans, sure, but it still put him on edge to be surrounded by so many all at once. He knew that most humans were in fact not crazed murderers, but after years of living at the Univir settlement and believing the contrary, being this nervous around such a large group of humans was a hurdle he had not completely overcome yet. He cleared his throat and gained his bearings.

"S-so, uh... Why'd you want me to come out here so bad, anyway? You never said why," Zaid asked, trying to mask his nervousness.

Estellise hummed as though pondering whether or not to give him an answer and stood up, brushing the dust off her skirt.

"You'll just have to see," she said, pulling at Zaid's hand until he begrudgingly stood up as well. "This way, follow me!"

Zaid sighed and followed after his enthusiastic friend, thinking to himself that it was entirely too early for this. Estellise seemed excited to take him somewhere for a reason she seemed to be keeping to herself, so much so that she had grabbed his hand and was pulling him along as she made her way through the streets of the town. He tried to keep his eyes forward, focused solely on his friend, but he couldn't help but notice a few people curiously glancing his way and whispering to one another with hushed giggles out of the corner of his eye. Zaid tried his best not to think about what sorts of things they might be saying. Estellise halted as they approached a very ordinary-looking building and turned to face Zaid, hands upon her hips and an uncharacteristically mischievous look upon her face.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what? You still haven't told me why we're here."

"To be honest, I wasn't sure at first," Estellise explained in a cryptic manner, "But after hearing everything you told me last night, I'm positive!"

"Huh? You're not makin' any sense!" Zaid said, his voice rising to a slightly higher volume than intended, making Estellise flinch with surprise.

"Look, I dunno what me talkin' about all that stuff had to do with anything, but can you get to the point?"

"Ah, actually, I just remembered! I have, uh... Something! Yes, something, that I need to go take care of right now, immediately! So um, go ahead and go inside the shop here and I'll catch up with you later, okay?" Estellise asked in a suspiciously nervous manner before quickly running off before Zaid could answer.

"H-hey, wait!" Zaid called out as he reached out his hand, but quickly lowered it and sighed in defeat when Estellise disappeared around a corner.

He looked up at the building. It seemed to be a perfectly ordinary general store, which he thought seemed like a weird thing to make a trip all the way to Selphia for. Sharance had a general store too, couldn't Estellise just have just gone there if she needed something? And why did she want him to go inside so badly, anyway? Zaid shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. Nothing was making any sense today and Estellise was being more weird than usual, but Zaid supposed that going inside would be better than hanging around all these humans outside, so he braced himself and pushed the door open, the chime of a bell signaling his entry.

"Be with you in just a sec!" A voice called out.

As the door closed with a click behind Zaid, he looked around the room. It was a perfectly ordinary shop, just as he'd thought. There didn't seem to be anything particularly special here, and certainly not anything that couldn't have easily been found someplace closer to home. As he continued glancing around his eyes fell upon the shopkeeper, the only person that seemed to be here other than him. The shopkeeper appeared to be a somewhat shorter-than-average man struggling with moving a tall stack of wooden crates. Zaid stifled a laugh at the sight. The stack of crates towered above this guy and wobbled to and fro with every movement; what was he thinking? The thought if offering a hand crossed Zaid's mind, but he was also mildly entertained at the display before him, so he leaned against a wall and watched the scene play out with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk upon his face. The crates became progressively more wobbly by the second and soon lost their center of gravity, clattering loudly to the floor and burying the man underneath.

Zaid could no longer contain his amusement as he let out a roar of laughter, but it was soon interrupted by a coughing fit--the crates seemed to have contained flour which, upon impact, heavily clouded the interior of the small shop in white. Still, Zaid couldn't help but laugh in between coughs as he attempted to clear the air in front of him by fruitlessly fanning the air with his hand. It did not take long for the flour to settle enough for Zaid to be able to see in front of him and help the shopkeeper, still buried underneath the crates, so Zaid made his way over to the sad stack of wooden boxes and gently tossed them off to the side one by one until the man underneath was able to stand.

"Hey man, you okay?" Zaid asked, still laughing in between words as he held out a hand to the shopkeeper.

The other man, now completely covered in flour, groaned and rubbed a spot on his head as he slowly stood up, batting away Zaid's outstretched hand in annoyance.

"I'm gonna feel that in the morning, but yeah, I'm fine. But hey, thanks for laughing, that helped a lot," he responded sarcastically, closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

"Sorry, sorry, but you should've seen yourself! Who tries to carry that many boxes at once? That's just askin' for trouble!" Zaid said, trying his hardest to quell his laughter as he wiped away moisture from his eyes. "I mean, I'm a _dwarf_ and you're still only about as tall as me!"

"Shut up, I'm not--Wait, you're a dwarf?" The flour-covered man asked with surprise in his voice, unfolding his arms and looking upon his rude visitor. His eyes widened upon seeing Zaid, shock, recognition, and disbelief evident upon his face.

"Wait, you can't be... _Squirt_?"

Zaid's subdued chuckling came to a complete halt upon hearing that nickname. He wasn't quite sure what to expect upon looking at the flour-covered man, but Zaid's heart began fluttering with anxiety just from hearing that all too familiar nickname from his childhood, a name he never thought he would hear again. Zaid couldn't really tell what color this guy’s flour-covered hair was, but he _did_ have pointed ears just like any dwarf, and when their eyes met and silver met silver, complete and absolute disbelief overtook each of them.

"No way, you're... It can't be..."

Zaid backed up in a clumsy, uneasy motion, his eyes wide and his heart pounding so loudly that he could hear it in his ears.

"No, no no no, you died, everyone... But then..."

Zaid's back hit the wall and he slid down until he was sitting on the floor holding his head in his hands, not sure if he was feeling disbelief, panic, relief, or if he was just going crazy. No, Doug had died, everyone had died, and Zaid had come to accept that fact a long, long time ago. Was he seeing a ghost? Would his parents suddenly appear next, angry that he'd been unable to save them? No, that was ridiculous, and even in his current state of mind, Zaid knew that. Still, how had Doug managed to be spared without Zaid knowing, after all this time? It seemed far too good to be true.

Doug looked upon the panicked dwarf with sympathy, his expression going soft. He understood Zaid's feelings. Talking about his painful past with people was one thing, but being put face to face with it was an entirely different matter. He'd felt similarly when faced with his past in recent times, and he figured that learning the truth and avenging his family had helped him to recover from everything. It was probably because of everything that he'd been through that he wasn't on the floor panicking right now too, but still, he wasn't sure what Zaid did or didn't know about the attack or what he had seen--he hadn't even known Zaid was alive until this very moment--so Doug decided he'd have to wait to talk to Zaid about everything sometime later, sometime after he calmed down.

"Hey listen, I'm gonna lock up and go clean off, do you... Wanna come upstairs?"

"I..."

"You can stay here on the floor if you want, doesn't matter to me," Doug said nonchalantly, trying not to bring attention to Zaid's emotional state.

"No, hang on, I'm going too!"

Without another word, Doug turned and led the way upstairs, not looking back but listening closely to make sure that Zaid was following behind. Doug led his old friend upstairs and stood in the doorway of his room. He didn't want to speak yet, he needed time to gather his thoughts as to not make Zaid's emotional state any worse, so he motioned for Zaid to wait in his bedroom as he walked off to go get cleaned up. Zaid obliged and walked in the room, completely alone with the confusing emotions inside his mind. He looked around the room--it was much, much tidier than his own--and he made his way to a wooden chair near the bed.

As Zaid sat alone, he couldn't begin to understand what had just transpired. Doug was alive... But how? Zaid thought back. Kuruna and Ondorus had assured him that there had been no survivors, and he found it hard to believe they would have overlooked something as serious as that. Zaid thought back even further, to right before the attack had happened. He recalled that Doug had to run an errand out of town earlier that day for his father, but had it really been sheer luck and coincidence that had spared him? Zaid didn't know what to think. As the minutes passed and he continued trying to calm his chaotic mind, Doug made his way into the room, his fiery red hair now clean and flour-free, and with a freshly-cleared mind, he wasted no time getting to the point.

"To be honest, I'm just as shocked as you. You know, I... I always regretted telling you no when you asked to come with me, that day. Going back to town after running an errand and seeing everything like that, it was... How did you manage to escape?" Doug asked as he dried his hair with a towel and sat on the corner of the bed facing Zaid.

"I... My parents, they... They gave up everything to save me..."

Doug looked upon Zaid with pity. He could tell Zaid had been through a lot, not only from the rather large scar on his face but also from the way he was acting, and knowing that he had probably seen the terror first-hand as it happened was enough to send a chill up his spine. He briefly considered bringing up how he'd helped take down those responsible for killing their families, but he ultimately decided to bring it up at a better time, after they had gotten more re-acquainted. Doug knew that at least part of the reason why he wasn't reacting as strongly as Zaid was because he'd already had to face his past, but quickly put it out of his mind, it didn't really matter one way or the other right now. He could see that Zaid's limbs were trembling and that he was overtaken in a cold sweat, so Doug decided to change the subject for now and did the one thing that he hoped would bring Zaid back to the present: he would bring up the nickname that Zaid had always hated so much as a kid.

"Well anyway, glad you're okay, Squirt," Doug said, the corner of his mouth lifting upward in a mischievous smirk.

"H-hey, we're like, the same height now! Who're you callin' squirt?!"

"Doesn't matter, once a squirt, always a squirt," Doug laughed. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"That's not true! Look, my hair's longer now!"

"Not what I meant," Doug laughed once more, glad that the change of subject seemed to have worked for now. "By the way, why are you here, anyway? Where have you been all this time?"

Zaid's eyes widened in realization, and he shot up from his seat with so much force that it fell back behind him.

"She knew this whole time, I can't believe her!" he shouted, causing Doug to jump in surprise.

"Woah, what?"

"Oh, uh... Nah, nevermind, it’s nothin’," Zaid said bashfully as he set the chair back up.

"Hey I know, let's spar!" Zaid suddenly exclaimed and bounced in excitement, his mood doing a complete turnaround at the thought of sparring with Doug again.

"What? Right now?!" Doug asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, right now!"

"We meet for the first time in years after thinking the other was dead, and the first thing you wanna do is spar? Yeah, you really haven't changed," Doug said with a short laugh. "Fine, fine, I guess I can take the rest of the day off. I know a place right outside town, let's go."

Doug led the overly-enthusiastic dwarf to an area right outside of the entry gate of Selphia, the cicadas filling the warm air with their summertime song. The duo passed by several people along the way who greeted Doug with smiles and waves, and Doug smiled and waved back at each one of them, a genuine look of happiness upon his face. Zaid wondered if Doug had a hard time making friends with humans at first too, but it looked as though he was living among them happily now so Zaid decided that was something they could talk about some other time. Doug turned to face his opponent with a look of determination.

"Alright, I hope you've been practicing," Doug said as he unsheathed his sword, not willing to admit that he was probably just as excited as Zaid was.

"'Course I have! I'm not some bratty kid anymore, I'm a warrior now," Zaid responded, full of pride and enthusiasm.

Doug had indeed taken notice of the tattoo on Zaid's arm, immediately recognizing it as the Mark of the Warrior. He remembered Zaid as being a bratty, bossy kid who always bragged about being the future chief, but even someone like him wouldn't take this tattoo lightly. Doug had no doubt that he'd earned it, and that he would surely put up a good fight. Doug also took notice of the tribal feathers in Zaid's hair, something that only the chiefs wore, and knew that Zaid's mother must have passed those onto him before she had gotten killed. There was no tribe left to be the chief of anymore, but still, Doug hoped that Zaid would live up to his name, that he wouldn't give the Frhemta tribe a bad name.

Zaid withdrew his cutlass and took a battle-ready stance, ready to go.

"All right, gimme all you've got!" Doug shouted, taking a defensive stance.

Zaid shouted and charged at Doug, his movements noticeably quicker than when he was a child. Doug was quicker now too though, and easily dodged Zaid's strike, which is exactly what Zaid was hoping he'd do and changed his movements accordingly. Doug barely had time to react to Zaid's change of strategy, but he managed to defend himself just in time for Zaid's sword to come clashing against his own. In the past, Doug would have easily been able to push Zaid aside in a situation like this by using his own force against him, but Zaid was not letting up, and Doug found himself stuck defending himself under the force Zaid was exerting. Realizing they were at a standstill, Zaid jumped backward and repositioned himself.

"Nice sword you got there," Zaid said, still focused enough to make a move if Doug unexpectedly charged at him.

"Heh, thanks, yours isn't half bad, either."

"’Course not, Pops made it! And I'm not gonna put his work to shame by losing," Zaid said with a shout as he charged in once again.

Doug decided that instead of defending this time, he'd take a more offensive approach and try to keep one step ahead of his opponent. Using his speed, he moved perpendicular to Zaid's movement in hopes of catching him off-guard. Doug was confident in his own speed and skills, but Zaid was speedier than he'd anticipated. Zaid's eyes followed Doug's movements closely as he tried to predict what his opponent would do and strategize accordingly, and when he came out with an idea, he grinned confidently and made his move. Zaid ran toward a tree, hoping to give Doug the impression that he'd stop there, and when Zaid reached the tree, he jumped up as high as he could and kicked off of the tree, sending himself flying toward Doug. Such a strange and unorthodox strategy seemed to have caught the red-headed dwarf by surprise, so Zaid used this opportunity by combining his force and speed to knock Doug's sword from hand in one swift movement. As it clattered to the ground, both Zaid and Doug stared at it in momentary silence until Doug smiled and let out a small huff of air. He walked over to his sword and lifted it from the ground, sheathing it without a word.

"H-hey, that didn't count, okay? Let's go again," Zaid said with furrowed brows.

"Nah, I'm good for now, I've seen all I need to see. If you wanna go again, it'll have to be another day," Doug responded casually.

Doug was acting like it was no big deal, but in reality, he'd never lost a match so quickly before, especially when he was so confident in his ability to win. He wondered if he'd been slacking too much, that maybe it had been a fluke and that he should take up Zaid's offer of a rematch. He could tell though, just from Zaid's movements alone, that he had become a truly competent fighter, and Doug realized that if he wanted to take on Zaid again, he'd need to brush up on his own skills first. He remembered that Zaid used to rush into every fight, headstrong, lacking any sort of strategy to speak of. Now, Doug was certain that Zaid had become quite the competent fighter capable of strategizing and reading his opponent. Sure, his strategy had been off-the-wall and strange, but that just made the match that much more unpredictable, and Doug was excited to see what other kinds of wild strategies Zaid was sure to come up with in future matches.

Doug held out his hand offering a handshake, which Zaid momentarily stared blankly at before accepting enthusiastically.

"Good job, Chief, you won."

"Just who are you callin--Hang on, what did you say...?"

"I said I'd stop calling you Squirt when you beat me, didn't I? And you're the chief, so..." Doug trailed off as he lowered his hand, noticing the emotional expression upon Zaid's face.

"A-anyway, it's not like it's something you need to cry over," Doug insisted as he turned the other way, hiding his reddened, bashful face and crossing his arms.

"Who's cryin'?! Not me!" Zaid shouted while rubbing his eyes, trying to keep his true feelings from showing.

"Anyway, I'm beat. Wanna grab something to eat? It's on me. I'm feeling some kind of rice, maybe something with tempura..." Doug trailed off again, talking to himself as he nonchalantly walked back toward Selphia with his hands raised up, resting behind his head.

"Ooh, I want udon!" Zaid said as he jogged up to Doug, unable to keep himself from babbling on about food and grinning like a fool.

As the afternoon transitioned into the night, the stars overhead began to shine and twinkle brilliantly. The night continued on as the duo of dwarves enjoyed their favorite foods together, the brightest, reddest star in the night sky shining brightly and watching over them, signaling the beginning of the Starry Night Festival. Zaid and Doug were far too busy catching up with one another to even remember what night it was though, the feeling of meeting one another again and the knowledge that neither was alone anymore far greater than any wish they ould ever dream of. Without even realizing it, Zaid’s wish from all those years ago had finally become a reality.

_I wish… That one day, when I’m the chief, I can be really happy and have good friends by my side._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a ton of fun writing this! I hope anyone who has read this far enjoyed it as much as I did~
> 
> I'd like to thank the organizers of the event as well as Aina, and I'd also like to thank yvesaffection for the headcanon of Zaid and Doug's tribe name.
> 
> Thanks for reading! c:


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